KARACHI: (HRNW) Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah chaired a high-level meeting at CM House today to review the progress of educational infrastructure recovery following the devastating 2022 floods. The Chief Minister revealed that while 19,808 schools across the province were affected by the catastrophe, the government is currently reconstructing or repairing 5,314 schools through provincial, federal, and international donor-funded programs, aiming to restore facilities for over 1.4 million students.
Minister for Education Sardar Shah and Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah briefed the meeting on the multi-tiered recovery strategy. Out of the active projects, 2,114 schools have already been completed through various financial arrangements. The provincial Annual Development Program (ADP) is handling 2,405 schools, with 617 already finished and the remainder scheduled for completion by June 2027. Additionally, the Maintenance and Repair (M&R) programs for the cycles of 2022-23 and 2024-25 have successfully restored 938 schools.
Key Progress and Funding Portfolios:
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International Support: Partnerships with the European Union and UNICEF have already restored 173 schools, while projects backed by JICA, DEEP, SELECT, and ASPIRE are ongoing.
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Federal Contribution: Under the Federal Public Sector Development Program (PSDP), 481 destroyed schools are being rebuilt, with 37 completed and the rest expected by December 2026.
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Major Investments: A massive Rs167 billion has been earmarked for large-scale reconstruction, of which Rs63.95 billion has already been utilized.
Regional Impact and Priorities:
The Chief Minister reviewed division-wise data to ensure equitable resource distribution. Hyderabad Division remains the most affected with 1,254 schools damaged, followed closely by Larkana (1,218) and Sukkur (1,070). At the district level, Khairpur faced the heaviest losses with 730 schools impacted.
CM Murad Ali Shah emphasized that every damaged school represents a barrier to a child’s future. He directed the School Education & Literacy Department to prioritize the most severely hit districts and ensure that all ongoing projects meet their mid-2027 completion deadlines. The meeting concluded with a commitment to a transparent, data-driven approach to build a more resilient educational infrastructure for Sindh.
Restoring educational access is a fundamental human right and a cornerstone of provincial recovery. To support our mission of providing verified reporting on infrastructure development and educational equity in Sindh, please consider contributing to our work at hrnww.com/support-us.
