In Sindh’s Jamshoro district, thousands of children now face an uncertain future after 214 schools declared dangerous after the torrential rains and floods. The condition of the school buildings is so bad, according to the Education Works Department, that they now pose a significant risk to students and teachers.
Of the unsafe structures, there are 172 primary schools and 42 higher secondary boys’ schools that house more than 10,000 students, according to officials. The department has advised the Education Department to move students and staff to other buildings or mobile facilities, but the process has been slow.
The catastrophic floods in Pakistan in 2022 reported by UNICEF displaced more than 27,000 schools across the country. Reconstruction has been stagnant, and many children are still learning in tents or outdoor spaces. Experts say that Sindh remains one of the worst affected provinces that struggles to restore education fully even two years on.
Education advocates for children claim that to be indifferent to these warnings shows a serious lapse in governance and investment in public education. They noted that Pakistan has one of the highest rates of out-of-school children in the world said by UNESCO. The loss of school infrastructure is aggravating the conditions on a national scale and in rural Sindh where education is already severely limited.
Flood-affected families are stressing that the government must focus urgently on moving students from tented camps to safer school facilities whether it be community halls, temporary shelters or protected schools nearby. They also called for sustainable and long-term plans to rebuild climate-resilient schools that can endure future disasters.
The education system in Pakistan remains in crisis following the floods while at the same time, climate change is escalating unprecedented extremities in the region. Unless the government takes reasonable obligations and programs, children in districts like Jamshoro can lose not only their classrooms, but significantly their futures.
[…] 214 Schools in Sindh Declared Unsafe | After Devastating Floods […]