KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday reviewed the ongoing repair and reconstruction of 4,162 school buildings out of total 19,808 that were damaged during the 2022 floods, and directed the school education department to expedite the work and ensure that the schools are rebuilt to be flood resilient.

He issued such directives while presiding over a meeting here at the CM House. The meeting was attended by Minister Education Sardar Shah, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Education Secretary Zahid Abbasi, Finance Secretary Fayaz Jatoi and Secretary to CM Raheem Shaikh.

The CM directed the education department to prioritise schools in the most affected areas and to ensure that the quality of construction meets the required standards. “Education is our top priority, and we must rebuild these schools to provide a safe learning environment for our children”, he stated.

Mr Shah said that out of a total of 19,808 damaged schools, work on 4,162 has either been started or will be started shortly but even then, he has to arrange funds for repair/reconstruction of the remaining 15,646.

Total of 19,808 schools were damaged during 2022 floods in Sindh, meeting told

Syed Sardar Shah said that out of 40,978 school buildings, 19,808 were damaged, including 7503 fully and 12,305 partially by the floods in 2022.

The CM directed the school education department to ensure the proper running of the classes so that the education of the students may not be affected. At this, the minister education told the CM that under stop-gap arrangement, classes were functioning properly.

When asked about the repair efforts, the CM was informed that 4,162 damaged schools had been taken up for repair and reconstruction with the support of various donor agencies and the federal government.

Mr Shah discussing the funding allocations, timelines, and measures to prevent future infrastructure damage by the heavy rains/floods directed the School education dept to ensure reconstruction/repair by 2025-26.

“I want you [school education department] to accelerate the restoration process so that educational institutions can resume full operations as soon as possible because the stop-gap arrangements for long would affect educational activities., he concluded. Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2024