In the wake of devastating floods that have rendered more than 3,000 schools non-functional across Punjab, the provincial government has announced plans to introduce a three-shift system in operational schools to ensure continuity of education for displaced students.
Punjab’s Minister for School Education, Rana Sikandar Hayat, revealed the initiative during a meeting with UNICEF’s Representative in Pakistan, Pernille Ironside, where progress on various educational projects was also reviewed. He said the floods have severely disrupted the education of thousands of children, leaving many school buildings damaged or submerged.
The minister acknowledged that the province was already struggling with a shortage of facilities before the disaster struck, but now faces an even greater challenge of restoring education. He said it may take up to three months to rehabilitate the affected schools.
In the meantime, the government plans to rent private buildings and establish temporary tent schools in flood-hit areas to keep the academic process running alongside the three-shift arrangement in functioning schools.
