A development conference on the rehabilitation of flood-affected schools in Sindh, organized by the Sindh Education Department, emphasized the need to make school infrastructure resilient to environmental impacts and to train students in risk management related to floods. The conference, titled Development Conference on Flood Affected Schools, was held today at the Marriott Hotel in Karachi in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank. Sindh’s Education Minister, Syed Sardar Ali Shah, attended the conference as the chief guest. Other notable attendees included Sindh School Education Secretary Zahid Ali Abbasi, Chief Program Manager of RSU Dr. Junaid Samo, DG PDR Abdul Qadeer Ansari, UNICEF’s Education Manager Abeer Maqbool, along with representatives from various donors and stakeholders.
During the conference, it was revealed that 19,808 schools in Sindh were affected by the floods, of which 7,503 were completely destroyed and 12,305 suffered partial damage-some of them deemed structurally unsafe. The damage to school buildings has disrupted the education of 2,381,275 students. Further insights from the conference highlighted that Sindh’s government, in collaboration with various donors and stakeholders, has initiated rehabilitation projects for 5,284 schools. The initial phase of restoration will cover 26% of the affected schools, while 74% still require additional funding for reconstruction. Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah remarked that the floods had exposed several weaknesses in the existing school infrastructure. He emphasized that new school buildings should be designed with environmental resilience in mind and that students should be provided with safe and sustainable learning spaces.
He further stated that funds are still needed for the reconstruction of 14,524 schools, requiring an estimated budget of Rs. 180.6 billion. Acknowledging international support, he credited Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for facilitating a donors’ conference in Pakistan, where global commitments were made toward rehabilitation efforts. He urged nations responsible for carbon emissions to fulfill their responsibilities by contributing to climate disaster recovery efforts. Additionally, the minister announced administrative reforms in school management, stating that funds would now be directly allocated to schools, allowing headmasters to handle maintenance, sanitation, and security arrangements independently. He also stressed that development projects must be completed on time to prevent fund lapses and delays in progress. To ensure efficiency, the Sindh Education Department has introduced a new digital monitoring system that will track project completion through a central dashboard using GIS-based satellite monitoring.
Experts at the conference also highlighted the importance of incorporating disaster risk management education into school curricula and providing counseling to students returning to school after the floods. The event concluded with the official launch of the new education project monitoring dashboard, which will enable real-time tracking of school rehabilitation efforts across Sindh.
