PESHAWAR: Following the devastating floods in northern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the provincial government has closed all educational institutions in the winter zone for a week to “protect the lives of students and staff members.”

The natural disaster has killed over 360 people and injured 181 in different districts, mostly in Buner, lately.

The other affected districts include Swat, Shangla, Bajuar, Lower Dir, Battagram and Mansehra. Swabi recorded 23 deaths on Tuesday.

The education department said the decision to close schools, colleges and universities was taken by the provincial government to protect the lives of students, teachers and non-teaching staff.

They said academic activities were continuing in the winter zone, including Hazara and Malakand divisions, while schools, colleges and universities were closed due to summer vacation in the rest of the province.

“In view of impending threats of cloudbursts, flash flooding, landslides as a result of developing weather systems, the competent authority has been pleased to notify that all winter zone schools shall remain closed with effect from August 19th till August 25th as a precautionary measure to safeguard the lives of students, teachers and school staff,” reads a notification of the elementary and secondary education department.

It added that the school administrations were directed to ensure regular academic engagement and continuity of education by adopting homeschooling or online assignments methods.

The notification said the elementary and secondary education department had also suspended other related activities involving students in the province in the “large interest of students.”

Through another notification, the higher education department said the colleges and universities had also been closed for a week.

Officials said the devastating rains and flash floods had destroyed and damaged 66 and 603government schools in affected districts.

They said the destroyed schools included 61 primary schools, three middle and two high schools.

According to the data released by the education department on Tuesday, the number of damaged schools went up from 414 to 603.Out of them, 470 are primary, 514 middle, 55 high and 24 higher secondary schools.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2025