The series of high-profile visits of international level dignitaries and public figures to Pakistan to highlight the plight of the flood victims in Pakistan at international level with a view to mobilizing the world community to help the victims of abnormal floods is a welcome development and it can definitely make a difference ahead of the cold weather which is round the corner.

After the detailed visits of the UN  followed by UN Aid assistant Angelina Jolies and now Nobel laureate Malala Yousuf  Zai, one can hope for some relief. In fact, these high profile visits have brought smiles on the faces of flood-victims, who are looking to the world in hour of distress. Since Malala is at the helm of affair of Malala Educational funds, she can help the children, particularly girls whose education has been stalled due to flood-devastations.

Her visit to Pakistan also coincided with the World Day of the Girl Child, held on October 11 every year to recognise girls' rights, which is in accordance with the objectives of Malala Fund. Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai was in Dadu district's Johi on Wednesday and she was really moved by the plight of the survivors who were displaced by devastating floods.

She was accompanied by Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah and Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho. The education minister briefed her about the pathetic state of schools which were damged by floods, stating that 12,000 schools had housed two million children in Sindh alone. The education of these 2m children was affected. Later his meeting with the Noble laureate, CM Murad Ali Shah, among other devastations of the floods, also highlighted the state of girls education which is badly impacted by the recent floods. As a matter of fact, the natural calamities in the form of unprecedented rains and flash floods have damaged thousands of schools across the country, resulting in cancellation and suspension of education of millions of children in the flood affected areas.

Monsoon rains and floods have damaged an estimated 18 thousand public schools in the country, causing an estimated loss of Rs60 billion, as per initial provisional estimates. Another country-wide provisional data collected  from provincial Education Departments of all the our provinces indicate that around eighteen thousands schools have been damaged or destroyed due to the flash floods and torrential rains. Sindh is the most affected with as many as 15,842 schools, followed by 544 in Balochistan, In Southern Punjab, an estimated 1,180 in Punjab have been destroyed by rains and floods. On the other hand, around 5,500 schools are vacated for flood affectees and are being used to accommodate these people displaced by floods.  

A rapid needs assessment (RNA) carried out in 12 districts and Tehsils of Balochistan province has discovered  that around one thoussand classrooms were totally damaged (310 in Khuzdar, 198 in Lasbela and 168 in Jhal Magsi), while another 975 classrooms registred partial damages (304 in Khuzdar, 156 in Lasbela and 174 in Jhal Magsi), and around six hundred schools were being used to accomoate the displaced persons in Killa Saifullah, Jhal Magsi and Lasbela districts. As for the KP province, the damage caused to schools is unprecedented in nature. In Swabi alone, over three hundred schools have been completely washed by rains and floods, Similar is th case in Swat, Bannu, D I Khan, Lakki Marwat etc where ab estimated eight thousands schools are fully or partially damaged by floods. Educationists say that this situation will result in unprecedented educational losses in a country where the number of drop-out of school children is already very high. This situation will result in further increase in the number of out-of-school children.

As per available date, there are at least 18.7m children who never went to school and do not intend to go either. Pakistan stands second in the list of countries that have the highest number of out-of-school children. As estimated, 22.8 million children between the age of 5 to 16 years do not go to schools.  

The latest statistics of the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund show that these out of school children form 44 per cent of the population in this age group, which is an alarming situation. Now this is appallingly big out-of-school children number which negates the claims by the successive governments to have launched plans aimed at enrolling more and more children in the schools. To be very specific, not only educating such a big population of the out-of-school children is a challenge for the government, both federal and provincial, but ensuring international standards within the existing education system is seemingly a very difficult task. Moreover, the creations of jobs creations in the education sector  also does not seem an  easy task as till now it has not  made a real progress. The irony is that education has never been among the top priorities of successive military and civil governments in the country. 

Though the successive governments have come up with plans to educate the masses, but those plans were never implemented in letter and spirit. An authentic report says that one in every four Pakistani children had never enrolled in a school. The figures indicate that there is a very slow pace of progress on education participation as well as closing of the gender gap which is increasing with the passage of time. The situation is almost same in every province. 

For example, Balochistan province has the lowest participation rate and highest number of out-of-school children.  

These statistics reflect the alarming situation of both foundational skills and their significance for productivity and growth. Our economic condition is dire and only a well-educated workforce can ensure an economic growth.  

Inaction in bringing children and youth to schools will adversely affect Pakistan's potential for higher productivity and economic progress, and will continue to maintain a large informal labour market and substantial amount of poverty. As a matter of fact, the destruction of schools in floods may exacerbate the challenges of an already perilous education system by increasing dropouts, and reducing the chances of learning among the students and will affect their productivity on the long term. The formidable challenges of out-of-school children call for a coordinated approach both at the federal and provincial as well as district level. It also calls for coordination at the programmatic approach and learning from one another's experience.

Getting millions of children to schools is a gigantic task that will require consistent efforts for years by all levels of government from federal to provincial to district government. Inaction can  lead to millions of more children dropping-out of schools in the country after floods. The aim and objective should be to garner the support of key influencers from all walks of life to ensure that education and the future of our children does not take a backseat after the floods.

Malala Funds and other international NGOs can  help rebuild the damaged schools across the country so that the future of millions of children can be saved from ruins.   

Published in The Daily National Courier, October, 15 2022

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