Berhampur, Oct. 29: Classes are set to resume within two days though most schools are not in a position to start functioning normally in the cyclone-ravaged district.

The cyclone has damaged more than 1,000 primary and upper-primary schools and 330 high schools in the district. The total loss has been estimated at Rs 117 crore.

Ganjam collector Kishen Kumar said all the schools in the district had been instructed to resume classes from October 31. “However, unsafe rooms should not be used for classes. In case any school is found unsuitable to resume classes on October 31, the headmaster must take up the matter with the district education officer for a final decision in that regard,” he said.

It has also been decided that the unsafe rooms would be kept locked. A team of technical consultants will inspect all the classrooms, kitchen shed and hostel and furnish a safety certificate, he said.

Principal of De Paul School Father Saju Antony said that the campus had been cleared of the debris. Renovation of the school auditorium, which was totally damaged by the cyclone, was expected to take a long time. Five classrooms of V.V. Giri Secondary Training School for Women were badly damaged by Phailin. “I have decided to merge these five classes with other classes temporarily,” said school headmistress Bijay Laxmi Behera.

Similarly, classes will be run in shifts in only three classrooms of Chaha Nehru Project Upper Primary School as eight of its 11 classrooms were badly damaged by the cyclone.