LOWER DIR: (ZAFAR ALI SHAH): Keeping in view the serious situation of flood damages shcool, the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) started the regular work of rehabilitating and repairing 40 severely affected schools in the district with the financial and technical support of UNICEF.
While the recent floods and heavy rains in Lower Dir district affected other spheres of life, the educational infrastructure has also been severely damaged. Due to negligence and lack of funds at the government level, dozens of schools were in ruins, putting the future of thousands of students at stake.
According to the report, priority is being given under this project to those schools that were partially or completely unable to teach due to floodwaters. The walls, ceilings, and rooms of the schools will be repaired.
The provision of clean drinking water and sanitation systems will be reactivated. Furniture and other essential educational kits will also be provided to the affected schools. Local sources and reports have revealed that despite the passage of time after the flood, no concrete steps have been taken by the provincial education department and the government to rehabilitate these schools. In many places, children were forced to study under the open sky or in dangerous buildings.
NCHD officials said that they aim to maintain the continuity of education so that children from poor and remote areas can avoid losing the academic year. The social circles and parents of Lower Dir have appreciated this initiative of NCHD and UNICEF; however, they have demanded that the government itself release funds on an emergency basis for the rehabilitation of the damaged infrastructure instead of relying only on foreign aid.
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