A recent report from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) Education Department has revealed alarming deficiencies in more than 10,000 government schools across 28 districts. Thousands of students are forced to study in institutions lacking essential infrastructure, including electricity, clean water, washrooms, and boundary walls.
The data shows that over 5,000 schools operate without electricity, while more than 2,000 lack access to clean drinking water and proper sanitation. Shockingly, a similar number of schools have no secure boundary walls, exposing students to safety risks.
Primary schools are among the worst affected, with 2,211 lacking electricity—particularly in Mansehra (344 schools) and Upper Kohistan (252 schools). Additionally, 208 schools in Upper Kohistan have no clean water, and 1,253 lack functional washrooms.
Middle schools face similar challenges, with 136 out of 160 surveyed missing boundary walls, 71 without drinking water, and 57 lacking sanitation. Even in Peshawar, the provincial capital, dozens of schools suffer from these shortages—21 without power, 15 without water, 17 without washrooms, and 8 without boundary walls.
Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, the provincial advisor on information, acknowledged the crisis and assured that the government is taking action. He stated that Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has prioritized education and that funds will be allocated in the upcoming budget to provide clean water and sanitation in all government schools.
The administration is also considering declaring an educational emergency in districts where more than half of children are out of school. To address immediate needs, temporary schools in rented buildings will be set up in the most affected areas.
These measures follow a previous report indicating that 37% of KP’s children—4.92 million boys and girls—are not attending school. The situation is dire in Kolai-Palas Kohistan, where 80,333 children remain out of school, while Upper Chitral performs the best, with only 10% absenteeism.
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Peshawar faces a severe gender gap, with over 500,000 children out of school—including 319,000 girls—underscoring deep inequalities in educational access. The government’s planned interventions aim to tackle these systemic issues, but urgent action is needed to prevent further deterioration of the province’s education system.