Sindh may see over 2 million school dropouts due to floods: Sardar Ali Shah

• Sardar Ali Shah says education emergency imposed in flood-hit areas of province.
• Stresses need to ensure that expected dropouts do not happen.
• Says govt planning to set up tent schools in flood-affected areas.

Sindh minister for Education and Culture Syed Sardar Ali Shah has expressed concern that over 2 million children could drop out of schools as floods caused massive infrastructural destruction in the affected areas, The News reported

In a meeting with the deputy commissioner, senior superintendent of police and representatives of United Nations International Children's Fund and various welfare organisations, Sardar said that an education emergency has been imposed in the province to deal with the losses.

He said that besides the ongoing relief activities, there was a need to save education and make sure that the expected dropouts did not happen.

The minister announced on the occasion that the Sindh school education department was planning to set up tent schools in the flood-affected areas.

“If learning activities are not ensured, we will be facing [a big problem] in the near future. This is why the education department is striving hard to keep children engaged in learning activities amid all the distractions.”

The education minister said that if a learning environment was not provided to the homeless children in their temporary camps, massive dropouts could be observed and to overcome this challenge, the education department was to set up tent schools in relief camps.

“We need the assistance of the non-government organisations in relief operations and rehabilitation,” he said.

Shah said teachers should teach children at camps to minimise the risk of learning losses.

He added that the floods had caused substantial economic loss in the long run and parents in the underprivileged and remote areas, where people have lost agriculture and cattle, would be unable to send their children to schools.