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Sunday, October 6, 2024

Urgent Action Needed to Save Education for Children in Flood-Hit Sindh

Over 230,000 children in Sindh face disrupted education due to monsoon floods, prompting calls for urgent investment in climate-resilient schools and infrastructure.

Sindh’s children are facing a severe educational crisis as monsoon floods continue to wreak havoc in the southern province of Pakistan. Recent data reveals that over 230,000 students are out of school due to the closure of more than 1,300 schools, with 228 completely destroyed and over 450 remaining non-functional due to standing floodwater. These closures are a significant setback in a country already grappling with an education emergency, where 26.2 million children are out of school.

“The monsoon has once again upended lives across Pakistan. Children have lost their lives, homes, and schools,” said UNICEF Representative in Pakistan Abdullah Fadil. The monsoon has claimed 76 lives in Sindh since July 1, half of whom were children. Swollen rivers have submerged homes, displacing 140,000 children and families in ten affected districts.

Call for Climate-Resilient Education

UNICEF has been on the ground, coordinating with government and local partners to restore education access and ensure early recovery for affected communities. “From heatwaves to floods, children are repeatedly being locked out of learning due to climate shocks,” Fadil stressed. He called for urgent investment in climate-resilient education and services, adding, “We need to build a coalition of partners to innovate, adapt, and mitigate in this climate-vulnerable country and find lasting solutions for children.”

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Pakistan ranks 14th out of 163 countries on UNICEF’s Children’s Climate Risk Index (CCRI), indicating that children are at an ‘extremely high risk’ of the impacts of climate change. These environmental shocks threaten not only their education but also their health and futures. The need for immediate action to protect and rebuild educational infrastructure is critical.

Rebuilding Hope for Sindh’s Children

Sindh was the most affected province during the catastrophic floods of 2022, with essential infrastructure, including health and education facilities, destroyed almost overnight. While communities continue to recover from past devastation, they now face renewed challenges due to ongoing extreme weather. UNICEF’s efforts focus on both immediate needs and longer-term strategies to rebuild resilient education systems.

The Sindh Education Department reported that 1,348 schools and 181 Temporary Learning Centers (TLCs) were damaged, with 93 schools currently serving as camps for internally displaced persons. The prolonged closure of schools threatens to make it more difficult for children to return to learning, compounding an already dire situation. The UN agency has emphasized the need for swift action, saying, “Our hope is that the rainwater subsides quickly, and children can get back to their classrooms.”

As Pakistan navigates these climate-induced challenges, there is a growing recognition that investing in climate-resilient infrastructure is key to safeguarding the future of its children. Without urgent action, the risks posed by environmental shocks will continue to disrupt the education and well-being of millions of children across the country. The call for global support to build back better and more resilient educational systems is louder than ever.