‘Rs180.6bn needed for reconstruction of 14,524 flood-hit schools in Sindh’

A development conference on the rehabilitation of flood-affected schools in Sindh, organized by the Sindh Education Department on Thursday, emphasized the need to make school infrastructure resilient to environmental impacts and to train students in risk management related to floods.

Officials said the conference, titled Development Conference on Flood Affected Schools, was held at the Marriott Hotel in Karachi in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank. Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah attended the conference as the chief guest.

Other notable attendees included Sindh School Education Secretary Zahid Ali Abbasi, Chief Program Manager RSU Dr. Junaid Samo, DG PDR Abdul Qadeer Ansari, UNICEF’s Education Manager Abeer Maqbool, along with representatives from various donors and stakeholders.

During the conference, it was revealed that 19,808 schools in Sindh were affected by the floods, of which 7,503 were completely destroyed and 12,305 suffered partial damage—some of them deemed structurally unsafe.

The damage to school buildings has disrupted the education of 2,381,275 students. Further insights from the conference highlighted that Sindh’s government, in collaboration with various donors and stakeholders, has initiated rehabilitation projects for 5,284 schools.

The initial phase of restoration will cover 26% of the affected schools, while 74% still require additional funding for reconstruction. Education Minister Sardar Ali Shah remarked that the floods had exposed several weaknesses in the existing school infrastructure.

He emphasized that new school buildings should be designed with environmental resilience in mind and that students should be provided with safe and sustainable learning spaces. He further stated that funds are still needed for the reconstruction of 14,524 schools, requiring an estimated budget of Rs180.6 billion. Acknowledging international support, he credited Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for facilitating a donors’ conference in Pakistan, where global commitments were made toward rehabilitation efforts.

He urged nations responsible for carbon emissions to fulfill their responsibilities by contributing to climate disaster recovery efforts. Additionally, the minister announced administrative reforms in school management, stating that funds would now be directly allocated to schools, allowing headmasters to handle maintenance, sanitation, and security arrangements independently.