AFTER the recent rains and floods that devastated the country, I went to rural Sindh for some relief work. I was thunderstruck to see the abysmal state of schools there. Since the flood-affected people have been accommodated in schools, the students are forced to continue their classes in tents or under the trees. This school setup reminds me of the past when there was neither electricity nor proper classrooms. Students used to be taught under the shade of trees while sitting on the ground.

Rehabilitation of the displaced people is being carried out only in urban centres of the province. Sadly, rural areas, which suffered the most, are left to search for their own means. This should have never been the case if schools were kept for studying and tents were provided to the people who lost their homes until their areas were cleared and floodwater was drained out of their villages and towns.

However, as the schools are being used as temporary shelters for the flood victims, we might experience the same again in the future and the history may repeat itself every time. I fear schools may get evacuated very late, disturbing the academic year.

Adding to the problem, tables and seats, or desks, used by the students will be found broken. Those will be needed to be replaced to make proper seating facilities for the students to resume their education in a proper environment. The education department will again give the officials a chance to play with the taxpayers’ money under the head just like we witnessed after the previous floods.

The government has failed to manage the calamity. This disaster and evacuation of students from schools will again create a menace and will lead to a disturbance in their education. The use of educational premises as temporary shelter homes for displaced people of any kind only ends up aggravating the already bad situation.

Umar Shahzaib
Tando Allahyar

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2022