China will appraise "all school buildings" in the earthquake-ravaged areas, said a statement issued by the earthquake relief headquarters of the State Council on Friday.

Local governments must organize personnel to conduct safety appraisals of "all school buildings" in the quake zone as soon as possible to ensure the safety of students as they return to school, the headquarters ordered.

Buildings whose design and construction violates the law should be dealt with according to law, the statement read.

Buildings found to be in a dangerous condition must be condemned, while those needing repairs must be treated properly before they are re-used, according to the statement.

The headquarters asked relevant authorities to conduct scientific appraisals and collect and keep necessary documents and samples to provide references for the overall planning for reconstruction.

In the devastating quake on May 12, many school buildings collapsed and many students were killed or injured, bringing great misfortune to their families, the statement read.

Many bereaved parents in Sichuan have questioned the construction quality of school buildings and asked the authorities to intervene.

On May 25, on a major street in Mianzhu City, one of the worst hit places, more than 100 grieving parents held up slogans and pictures of their deceased children and asked the authorities to uphold justice.

Some parents in other quake-hit areas also told Xinhua that poor-quality school buildings led to death of their children.

Sichuan Province has started investigating school building collapses that buried thousands of students in the devastating earthquake.

An investigation team involving officials from the Deyang city government has started probing the construction quality of a three-story building at a local primary school in Wufu Township, Mianzhu.

The team also included architects and is to involve representatives of parents in the investigation.

Meanwhile in Dujiangyan City, a city government official told Xinhua that the government would seriously punish those responsible for the collapsed building if they found quality problems at Juyuan Middle School.

About 900 students and teachers were buried in the school when their classrooms collapsed in the quake and about 240 were confirmed dead.

The city government set up a probing team and had met with parents of late students

(Xinhua News Agency May 30, 2008)