Without Aid, Hundreds of Thousands of Children May Not Return to School in Flood-Devastated Pakistan
Save the Children works in remote communities to help the education system — and children — recover
(September 7, 2010) — At least 7,820 schools have been destroyed by extreme flooding in Pakistan, forcing more than 1.6 million children out of the classroom. Save the Children warns that massive destruction to the education system means that hundreds of thousands of children, particularly girls and those from the poorest families, could be forced out of school permanently with devastating consequences for the future of the country.
In the north of Pakistan, violent flash floods swept away roads, homes, hospitals and schools. In the south, thousands of families are still being evacuated from their homes by rising floodwaters. Those schools that are still standing are now temporary refuges, with five to six families living together in cramped classrooms. Save the Children estimates that at least 5,000 schools are being used as shelters across the country.
The huge and unprecedented scale of the destruction means it will be months before enough money and adequate resources are available to rebuild destroyed schools, if they are rebuilt at all. Those families now living in classrooms have no idea when they will be able to return to their devastated homes.
“Hundreds of schools have disappeared entirely, consumed by the Indus River, or are covered by meters of polluted water. It will be months if not years before children are able to return to class. For thousands of children, this gap could mean they may not return at all,” said Sonia Khush, Save the Children’s director of emergency preparedness and response, from Pakistan. “While more affluent families will be able to pay for their children to board at schools in areas unaffected by the floods, the poorest families, particularly those in remote rural areas, will have no choice but to keep their children at home or send them to work. This would mean a massive backward step in literacy rates across the country and ultimately an increase in poverty.”
Save the Children reports that the gender gap between male and female education, already problematic in parts of Pakistan, could be widened by the disaster. Before the floods the literacy rate for men in Swat, northern Pakistan, was 42%. Among women, it was less than 13%, according to the most recent Pakistan Government Census.
With farm lands and livelihoods washed away, the poorest families are now even poorer. Rural parents are telling Save the Children that if they are able to send any of their children to school, they will send their sons and keep the girls at home.
Save the Children is working in remote rural communities to enroll children in school and train local teachers. The international children’s charity has also set up 37 child-friendly spaces for children affected by the floods so that they can play, draw and regain a sense of normalcy and routine. The agency will have 70 spaces operating by the end of the week.
“The emotional well-being and future health of millions of children depends on getting schools up and running as quickly as possible,” said Khush. “International donors must support the Pakistani government and make the rebuilding of flood-damaged schools a priority if we are to avoid an education crisis that could damage a generation.”
