It’s back to school for the children of Amatrice, the Italian town hardest hit by last month’s deadly earthquake.<br /><br /> Here, the classrooms are prefabs that were set up in record time after the 6.2 magnitude quake caused the local school to collapse – even as it was supposed to have been upgraded to modern anti-quake norms four years ago. The National Anti-Corruption Agency is now looking into how the contract for that work was awarded.<br /><br /> The August 24 disaster killed 295 people, including many children, over the summer break. Rebuilding facilities for the town’s pupils was a priority.<br /><br /> “It’s a new beginning for them, they can somewhat get back to normal,” one mother said. “In this disastrous situation it’s the only beautiful thing, after all the victims we’ve had – a new beginning, a more peaceful one.”<br /><br /> Kids in #Italy #earthquake hit town of #Amatrice head back to temporary school today in record time #CBC pic.twitter.com/qJGNc3NVoZ— Megan Williams (@MKWilliamsRome) 13 septembre 2016<br /><br /> The makeshift school comprises 10 classrooms for pupils ranging from pre-school to middle school. And the principal, Maria Rita Pitoni, wants to make it a fun place.<br /><br /> “We are preparing a lot of educational projects. There will not only be classes, but also an open school (...) and many extra-curricular activities, from sport, to art and sculpture,” she said.<br /><br /> The education minister praised the “extraordinary work” by local officials to build the classrooms so quickly, and promised that would just be a first step for Amatrice as it tries to get back on its feet.<br /><br /> Renzi hails Amatrice school reopening – Pupils start school year in temp structure in Villa San Cipriano https://t.co/BS7kTsNnTm— Ansa English News (@ansa_english) 13 septembre 2016<br />
