THIS is with reference to the report ‘People demand accountability after tuition centre roof collapse kills 14 children in Lahore’ (Dawn.Com; July 1). The tragic incident in a poor locality of Punjab’s capital has become the focus of media attention, and there is no dearth of voices across social media platforms demanding due action against those found guilty. It has become a matter of routine to put the blame on the weakest link responsible.

Compensations have been announced for the affected families. Had the government allocated half this amount to construct a small school in the poor locality, the tragedy could not have taken place, and could have facilitated many more children and families in having access to education.

The poor who live in such congested localities cannot be blamed for sending their children to receive basic education, which, despite being their constitutional right, does not exist in practice. As it is, every government, including the present one, has embarked upon privatisation of basic health and education. If only a small government-subsidised school had existed in the locality, the poor would have sent their children there. Unfortunately, neither population control nor imparting education to the poorest of the poor happens to be a priority of governments in Pakistan.

Malik Tariq Ali
Lahore

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2026