LARKANA, Sept 20: Widespread rains in Larkana division have dealt a serious blow to the education sector as a preliminary survey shows that out of 7,475 school buildings in the division a total of 1,919 schools have been affected by the rains. Speaking to Dawn, director education of the Larkana region Syed Rasool Bakhsh Shah confirmed on Wednesday the figure of the affected schools.

“We are trying to set up camp schools along with makeshift arrangements to save the time of students affected by the rains,” he said. The director of education of Larkana presided over a meeting of district education officers of Larkana, Jacobabad, Shikarpur, Kashmore and Qambar-Shahdadkot on Wednesday to assess the damage caused by the rains to schools in the division.

The participants in the meeting expressed the view that the level of flash floods from Balochistan after the rains was rising and it might cause more damage to school buildings in Sindh.

Sources privy to the meeting said that it was stated in the meeting that the water would take at least two months to recede from the affected areas.

A report faxed to Sindh education secretary Mukhtiar Soomro on Wednesday stated that the number of enrolled students affected by the rains in the primary, middle, secondary and higher secondary schools in the division was 215,767, the sources added.

The sources in the education directorate that compiled the initial survey report said that 1,793 primary, 86 middle and 40 secondary and higher secondary schools had been affected by the rains and floods whereas 7,485 classrooms had been damaged.

The report faxed to the secretary of education signed by all district education officers and the director of education of the Larkana region mentioned that 463 schools were being used as camps for internally displaced persons, the sources added.

The education director admitted that the situation could disturb students’ academic calendar, which runs from April 1 to March 30.

The education director, however, said that arrangements would be made to bridge the gap of one and a half months during which the rainwater would recede.

A senior officer in the directorate of education, Mohammed Hassan Solangi, said that most affected districts in terms of education were Jacobabad, Kashmore-Kandhkot and Shikarpur.

He expressed the fear that students’ dropout rate might increase if the rainwater took more than the expected time to recede.

The meeting participants were informed that a survey of the affected schools in Larkana division was in progress and a final report in this connection would be submitted to high-ups after complete receding of the rainwater from the affected areas.

The reports that the education department had received stated that the rainwater was fast approaching towards the areas of Jacobabad, Kashmore, Shikarpur and Qambar-Shahdadkot.

“We are in primary stage of assessment of damages caused to school buildings and will begin a detailed survey soon that will show the degree of damages — ie either collapsed, partially damaged or completely damaged,” said the administrative officer of the education directorate of Larkana.

Replying to a question as to how would the displaced students be imparted education, the director said: “We will try to shift them to their neighbouring schools and camp schools to help them continue their studies.”

Currently the affected schools were without enrolled students, the administrative officer added.