The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government will require an estimated Rs16.2 billion to reconstruct and rehabilitate thousands of government school buildings declared unsafe or in poor condition across the province, according to initial estimates by the education department.
The assessment was conducted through district- and tehsil-level education offices following the collapse of a private school building in Peshawar’s Dir Colony, which claimed the lives of 31 students and a female teacher.
The survey identified 8,088 classrooms, 2,949 group latrines and 48 examination halls requiring reconstruction or rehabilitation.
The government has also directed the Elementary and Secondary Education Authority (ESEA) to inspect private school buildings throughout the province to assess their structural condition.
An education department official said the authority had inspected more than 6,000 of the 12,493 private schools registered with the Private Schools Regulatory Authority. The inspection process was expected to take another week to complete.
District-Wise School Rehabilitation Needs
Official figures show that Abbottabad has 245 government schools requiring rehabilitation, including 130 girls’ schools and 115 boys’ schools. The estimated cost of the work stands at Rs1.098 billion.
In Battagram, 59 schools have been declared dilapidated, comprising 56 boys’ schools and three girls’ schools. The reconstruction of 53 classrooms, 29 group latrines and one examination hall is expected to cost Rs130 million.
Buner has 71 schools requiring repairs, including 47 boys’ schools and 24 girls’ schools. Rehabilitation work covering 285 classrooms and 75 group latrines is estimated at Rs386 million.
In Charsadda, 174 schools need rehabilitation at a projected cost of Rs874.7 million. The survey identified 430 classrooms and 23 group latrines in poor condition.
Lower Dir has 271 government schools classified as dilapidated. Repairing 689 classrooms, 128 washrooms and one examination hall is expected to cost Rs1.48 billion.
In Upper Dir, 161 schools — 71 girls’ schools and 90 boys’ schools — require rehabilitation. The estimated Rs368 million project will cover 249 classrooms and 52 washrooms.
Hangu has 116 schools in need of rehabilitation, including 92 boys’ schools and 24 girls’ schools. The repair of 468 classrooms, 10 washrooms and two examination halls is projected to cost Rs438 million.
In Haripur, 332 government schools, comprising 130 girls’ schools and 202 boys’ schools, require repairs to 811 classrooms, 336 washrooms and five examination halls. The estimated expenditure is Rs1 billion.
Karak has 132 dilapidated schools, with 327 classrooms and 83 washrooms requiring rehabilitation at a cost of Rs727 million.
In Kohat, 168 government schools need repairs to 522 classrooms and 24 washrooms. The estimated cost of the work is Rs1.7 billion.
Malakand has 162 schools requiring rehabilitation, including 368 classrooms and 80 washrooms. The projected cost stands at Rs690 million.
In Mardan, 350 school buildings have been declared dilapidated. The rehabilitation of 728 classrooms and 272 washrooms is expected to cost approximately Rs1 billion.
Swat has 488 government schools in poor condition, with 518 classrooms, 301 washrooms and five examination halls requiring rehabilitation at an estimated cost of Rs1 billion.
The survey also identified substantial repair needs in other districts. These include 454 schools in Peshawar, 202 in Nowshera, 174 in Mansehra, 160 in Swabi, 110 in Lower Kohistan, 47 in Kolai-Palas, 38 each in Upper Chitral and Upper Kohistan, 35 in Lower Chitral, 33 in Shangla and 30 in Torghar.
The findings highlight the scale of the province’s school infrastructure challenges and the significant funding required to improve building conditions and provide safer learning environments for students and teachers.
