Braving the elements: Schoolchildren to fight the winter for education

Tents provided for schools destroyed in quake in Shangla


Our Correspondent December 02, 2015
PHOTO: AFP

SHANGLA: At least 147 schools have been damaged in quake-hit areas of Shangla district. The Pakistan Army and district administration have distributed tents to education officers for schools which were destroyed – which were 32 in number according to officials.

Shangla Deputy Commissioner Saadat Hassan told The Express Tribune that the army and district administration distributed tents to teachers under a joint relief operation on Wednesday at Alpuri District Secretariat. He said tents were provided to all those facilities that were destroyed.



DEO Saeed Khan told The Express Tribune most of the affected schools were in remote areas including Puran, Besham, Shapoor and Alpuri. He added Shangla was a region that experienced snowfall in winter. The DEO said the district administration was doing its best to provide and set up tents through their own efforts and those of nongovernment organisations before winter fully sets in.

DEO Parveen Rehman said before the tents were provided, children were getting their education under the open sky after the October 26 earthquake. She said the army-provided tents were distributed on an emergency basis to schools in remote areas of Shangla.

She added the tents were adequate for 30 students each and would protect them from the elements. At the same time, NGOs will be provided more tents for girls schools within a week.

Rehman said winter holidays start on December 25 in the hilly areas.

In the massive earthquake of 2005, around 500 schools were damaged and 38 of them still await restoration. The historic Government Degree College in Chakesar was also damaged in that year.

Shangla was also badly hit by the floods in 2010. On October 26, another quake hit the area and people are still awaiting necessary government attention.


Published in The Express Tribune, December 3rd,  2015.

 

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