Islamabad, July 30 (DPA) The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) Thursday called for the rebuilding of schools in northwestern Pakistan as nearly two million people displaced by fighting between the military and Taliban militants return to their homes.
“As returns begin, the education infrastructure will need to be rebuilt so that children can begin school on time after the summer holidays,” Syed Fawwad Ali Shah, a spokesman for the UN agency, told reporters in Islamabad.
An estimated 600,000 children are enrolled in Malakand schools and they have already missed up to a year of education due to the hostilities.
Authorities have planned to restart educational activities from August. Tents will be set up in areas where school buildings are not available.
Militants led by radical cleric Maulana Fazlullah destroyed 187 schools and damaged 318 others during nearly two years of insurgency. Girls’ education was partially banned earlier this year following an edict issued by Fazlullah.
Troops launched an offensive in the Malakand region in late April after Islamist insurgents flouted a peace deal by refusing to disarm, and instead expanded their influence in the area.
The military says it has killed more than 1,700 fighters and cleared most parts of the mountain region, located just 100 km from the capital, Islamabad.
Fierce clashes made around two million people flee to adjoining districts, where the government accommodated around 275,000 of them in 4,739 school buildings and several makeshift camps.
Shah said Thursday that the refugees had left more than 1,100 schools, while the rest of the buildings would also be vacated within the next two weeks.
Regional authorities are assessing the situation to rehabilitate the structures before the official school year starts Sep 1.
“Getting all children back into learning environments poses a massive challenge to the government and the humanitarian community,” the Unicef spokesman said.
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