SWABI: The district administration has sealed around 120 schools, mostly private, in different parts of Swabi after inspections revealed that their buildings were unsafe for students, sources said on Sunday.

The sources told Dawn that inspections conducted in all four tehsils of the district found cracks in the walls and rooms of several school buildings, making them unfit for educational activities and posing a threat to students’ lives.

The inspection teams sealed the institutions found to be dangerous, despite objections and excuses by some school administrations.

Officials made it clear that no compromise would be made on safety of students and took decisions on the spot after assessing the condition of the buildings, the sources said.

The inspection campaign, covering both public and private schools, was launched following the collapse of a private school building in Peshawar, which claimed the lives of 31 children and a female teacher.

Assistant commissioners of the four tehsils are leading the inspection teams and have been directed to complete the exercise without discrimination, giving priority to safety of students to prevent any untoward incident. When contacted, Deputy Commissioner Nasarullah Khan told Dawn that inspection would continue without interruption to check all schools in the district.

He said that out of approximately 2,000 public and private schools in Swabi, 1,224 had so far been inspected and around 120 sealed. The remaining institutions would be inspected soon, he added.

“We will not stop until we complete the task in accordance with the provincial government’s directives,” he said.

The deputy commissioner said the district had a total of 289,180 students, adding that the administration did not have separate figures for children enrolled in private schools. He said students of sealed public-sector schools would be accommodated in nearby educational institutions to ensure that their studies were not disrupted. Heads of the schools concerned had been directed to make immediate arrangements in this regard.

Similarly, private school administrations had been instructed to rent suitable alternative buildings and continue classes there while arranging repairs for their sealed premises.

They would be allowed to resume classes in their original buildings only after these had been renovated and cleared by the district administration, he added.

“We understand the importance of children’s education. We are taking urgent action to ensure that their education continues smoothly,” the deputy commissioner said.

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2026