PESHAWAR (Dunya News) - The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has established district-level inquiry committees to ensure the safety of private school buildings across the province.
The Elementary and Secondary Education Department has issued a notification directing the committees to submit detailed reports and recommendations for necessary corrective measures within three days.
The decision follows an unfortunate incident in which the roof of a classroom at a private school in Peshawar’s Deir Colony area collapsed. In response, the provincial government decided to conduct safety inspections of private school buildings throughout Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to protect students and teaching staff and identify potential hazards in a timely manner.
According to the notification issued by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Elementary and Secondary Education Department, the committees will assess the structural strength, physical condition and suitability of private school buildings for educational activities in all districts of the province.
During the inspections, the committees will examine roofs, walls, columns, beams, foundations, staircases and other structural components to determine whether the buildings are safe for students and staff.
The committees have been directed to classify school buildings into three categories based on their findings: safe buildings, buildings requiring repairs, and potentially unsafe buildings. This classification will help identify facilities where immediate corrective measures are necessary.
According to the notification, the committees will recommend essential repairs, structural reinforcement and rehabilitation measures for buildings identified as hazardous. Relevant district authorities will be informed immediately about buildings that pose an imminent risk.
Where necessary, the committees may also recommend restricting access to a building or suspending its use to prevent potential accidents.
The inquiry committees will be headed by district monitoring officers. Relevant education department officials and a representative of the Communications and Works Department will also serve on the committees.
The inclusion of representatives from different departments aims to improve the effectiveness of inspections and draw on relevant technical expertise to identify structural defects.
The Elementary and Secondary Education Department has instructed the committees to compile and submit detailed reports within three days of the notification’s issuance. The reports will include assessments of the buildings’ current conditions, identified safety deficiencies and recommendations for necessary corrective measures.
Relevant authorities have also been directed to provide lists of private schools and issue the necessary instructions to facilitate effective inspections, ensuring that private educational institutions are assessed in every district of the province.
The primary objective of the initiative is to provide a safe learning environment in private schools, address potential building-related hazards promptly and take preventive measures to avoid similar tragic incidents in the future.
However, a clearer picture of the overall condition of school buildings and any further action will emerge once the inspection findings and committees’ recommendations are available.