KP Education Department Orders Safety Audit of All School Buildings

What happened

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa elementary and secondary education department has ordered a province-wide safety audit of government school buildings following a roof collapse in Peshawar that resulted in the deaths of 31 students and one female teacher [1].

According to the education secretary, the following measures have been directed:

• Classes must be suspended in any structures found to be unsafe [1].
• Students in unsafe buildings must be immediately moved to nearby schools or other suitable safe premises [1].
• Educational activities can only resume after necessary repairs are completed and a competent technical authority provides a fitness certification [1].
• Major structural defects must be referred for technical assessment and remedial action [1].
• District-wise reports covering inspections, unsafe buildings, class suspensions, relocation arrangements, and remedial measures are due by October 21 [1].

To inspect private schools, the government has established district-level inquiry committees. Led by district monitoring officers, these committees include officials from the education department and the Communications and Works Department [2]. These committees will assess roofs, walls, columns, beams, foundations, and staircases to categorize buildings as safe, requiring repairs, or potentially unsafe [2]. These committees are required to submit comprehensive reports and recommendations within three days of their notification [2].

Local administrations have also taken independent actions:

• In Peshawar, an inspection team including Rescue 1122, the Capital Metropolitan Government, and the KP Private Schools Regulatory Authority is assessing structural conditions and essential facilities [1].
• In Lower Dir, a committee must inspect all public and private schools in the Adenzai and Samarbagh tehsils within four days to submit building audit certificates [1].
• In Swabi, Deputy commissioner Nasarullah Khan directed inspection committees to examine all campuses, specifically noting drainage issues at Government Primary School Shindand [1].

Who is affected

• Students and teachers in government and private schools across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [1, 2].
• Educational institutions in Peshawar, Lower Dir (specifically Adenzai and Samarbagh tehsils), and Swabi [1].
• Private schools in every district of the province [2].

What students should do next

• Students currently in buildings identified as unsafe should be shifted to nearby schools or other safe premises as directed by the department [1].