Islamabad, Oct 27 (IANS) As many as 4,049 government schools in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province have been declared in ‘dilapidated’ condition and require immediate reconstruction and rehabilitation to ensure the safety of students and teachers, local media reported on Tuesday.
A total of Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 16.2 billion will be needed to reconstruct and repair these schools, according to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa elementary and secondary education department’s initial estimates. According to a report in leading Pakistani daily ‘Dawn’, the department said that the structures which need reconstruction and rehabilitation include 8,088 classrooms, 2,949 group latrines and 48 examination halls.
The department conducted a survey in government schools after a private school building collapsed in Dir Colony of Peshawar earlier this month. The government has also directed the Elementary and Secondary Education Authority (ESEA) to conduct inspections in private school buildings in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
An education department official said that ESEA has so far conducted inspections in more than 6,000 out of the 12,493 private schools registered with the Private Schools Regulatory Authority, adding that they would need another week to complete the inspection in schools.
According to the official data, 245 schools in Abbottabad need PKR 1.098 billion for rehabilitation, while 59 schools have been declared in a dilapidated state in Battagram. As many as 71 government schools in Buner require rehabilitation, while 174 schools in Charsadda need rehabilitation.
According to the survey, 271 government schools in Lower Dir have been declared dilapidated, while 161 schools in Upper Dir need rehabilitation. As many as 116 government schools in Hangu have been declared dilapidated.
As many as 332 government schools in Haripur need rehabilitation, while 132 schools have been declared dilapidated in Karak. According to the official data, 168 government schools in Kohat need rehabilitation in Kohat while 162 schools have been declared dilapidated in Malakand, Dawn reported.
A total of 350 school buildings have been declared dilapidated in Mardan, while 488 government schools have been identified in poor condition in Swat. According to the survey, 454 schools in Peshawar, 202 in Nowshera, 174 in Mansehra, 160 in Swabi, 110 in Lower Kohistan, 47 in Kolai-Palas, 38 each in Upper Chitral and Upper Kohistan, 35 in Lower Chitral, 33 in Shangla and 30 in Torghar require rehabilitation.
On October 15, at least 31 children and two female teachers were killed and over 50 others injured after the roof of a private school collapsed in Pakistan’s Peshawar, local media reported, citing Lady Reading Hospital (LRH).
According to LRH, 53 children were taken to the hospital, the majority of them boys. Among them, 33 died while 17 were discharged from the hospital after observation. All the children were aged 14 years or below, ‘The Express Tribune’ had reported earlier.
Speaking to reporters, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Mian Saeed said that the roof of the school had been poorly constructed and the building was located in narrow streets, which created difficulties for rescue operations.
–IANS
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