School inquiry flags construction plan

Report says Peshawar school building not designed for educational use

PESHAWAR:

A government inquiry into a school roof collapse in Peshawar's Dir Colony has found that the building was originally designed for residential use and its makeshift upper-floor roof could not bear the weight of pupils and classroom furniture.

The report by the Capital Metropolitan Government's Eastern Zone, sent to the provincial government and governor, said the building's approved plan was missing from official records and the relevant planning inspector had not reported it as unsafe.

The building was constructed in 2011, when the area fell under Town-IV Tehsil Municipal Administration, and was later converted into a private school, despite being unsuitable for educational use.

The two-storey structure had cement-brick walls and an iron-girder-and-tile roof on the ground floor. The first floor had unplastered walls and a makeshift roof of wooden planks topped with bricks, the report said.

The roof could not withstand the combined weight of pupils and furniture, causing the rear section of a classroom to collapse on Oct. 15, it added.

The report said the planning inspector had not flagged the building because it did not appear dangerous from the outside.

It placed responsibility for regulating and monitoring private schools with the Private Schools Regulatory Authority.

The findings raise questions about building safety checks, regulatory oversight and how the school was allowed to operate in a residential building unsuitable for educational use.