OSAKA — Osaka Kyoiku University will temporarily move the entire operations of its affiliate Ikeda Elementary School, where eight pupils were fatally stabbed, to makeshift classrooms on a nearby plot, it was learned Tuesday.
The plan, presented at a meeting with parents later in the day to gain their input, will be made official upon hearing parents' opinions, said officials from the state-run university in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture.
A government-owned plot situated about 800 meters west of the current elementary school is being considered as the temporary site. Prefabricated buildings would be used as makeshift classrooms, according to the university.
The land, formerly the site of the university's Ikeda campus, is convenient for students and ongoing school operations, the officials said, adding they have already received government permission to use the land.
Chosen because it is located nearby and large enough to accommodate the entire school, the site is larger than the elementary school premises, making it possible to relocate all six grades — with some 680 pupils — to the same place, the officials said.
The present elementary school building will be rebuilt out of concern for traumatized pupils who do not wish to return to the site of the tragic incident. Children will take classes at the makeshift buildings during the reconstruction, which is likely to take up to two years.
Meanwhile, officials of the Osaka Prefectural Government and Ikeda Municipal Government have offered community halls and other public facilities as temporary classrooms.
School officials said they would also ask parents what they think about these offers.