- Sindh’s minister claims that repairing school infrastructure will necessitate global aid.
- says that with UNICEF aid, over 2,000 temporary learning centres were constructed
- A UNICEF official emphasises the need of restarting academics after children return to their villages.
Syed Sardar Shah, Sindh minister for culture, tourism, and antiquities, claimed that the province’s catastrophic floods destroyed the school infrastructure, a loss so large that the government is unable to rebuild it on its own.
On Saturday, as he presided over a meeting with the UNICEF team, he stated, The world community must support us in reestablishing educational programmes for flood-affected children.
We have wonderful teachers who are eager to educate children in any circumstance,
The Sindh minister complimented UNICEF for assisting in the establishment of more than 2,000 temporary learning centres in the affected regions.
Shah asserted that 20,000 tent classrooms are needed for pupils in flood-affected districts of the province to continue their academic pursuits. For the sake of children’s safety, the administration does not believe it is prudent to use flood-damaged structures for educational purposes, according to Sardar Shah.
He claims that the provincial government should focus on additional issues such as children’s psychological disorders, child protection, and food deficiencies.
The UNICEF delegation, which included Global Director Education UNICEF headquarters Robert Jenkins, Regional Education Advisor UNICEF ROSA Peter De Vries, and Chief Education UNICEF Pakistan Ellen Van Kalmthout, attended the seminar at a local hotel in Karachi.
Prem Bahadur Chand, the head of Unicef’s field office in Sindh, Asif Abrar, Unicef’s education specialist in Sindh, Ghulam Akbar Laghari, the secretary of that department’s school education and literacy division, Junaid Hameed Samoo, the RSU’s chief programme manager, and all SELD wing heads were also present.
Attendees in the meeting were given an overview of the overall response to the food crisis, as well as information on Sindh’s damaged schools. The audience was also shown the preliminary results of the Sindh Education Department’s survey of schools in the province following the floods. UNICEF Pakistan provided technical help for the survey.
According to UNICEF personnel, the children were exposed to this situation for the first time, and they are now grappling with a variety of social and psychological issues.
Robert Jenkins praised the department of school education for its timely efforts. He also lauded the flood loss calculation. After the children return home, he believes that restoring education should be the main priority.
