Education of 2 million children affected by cataclysmic floods: Sindh minister

KARACHI: The education of over 2 million children, 46% of which are girls, has been affected by the recent catastrophic floods in Sindh, provincial Minister for Education and Literacy Syed Sardar Ali Shah said Tuesday.

Shah made the remarks during an emergency meeting of the UNICEF Education Partner Group on climate-induced emergencies in Pakistan and the Horn of Africa via video link.

The meeting was held to discuss the revival of education in the province, which remains hugely impacted following devastating floods across Pakistan due to climate change.

Informing the global donor community, Shah said: "Around 20,602 schools have been damaged in the province and schoolchildren cannot be forced to sit in dilapidated buildings during the restoration phase."

He added that the structure of many schools has weakened as a result of the damage and is not fit for use. 

The minister insisted the Education Partner Group focus on planning to build climate change resilient structures for schools in future.

Shah added that the biggest challenge is to resume the learning process for schoolchildren at this time for which the government needs to provide 20,000 tents.

Members of the international community praised the provincial government for its flood response and ensured help in rebuilding the educational infrastructure in Sindh.