By
David Youngmeyer
MUZAFFARGARH, 21 May 2011 – Children in the small village of
Mullan Walla, in flood-affected Muzaffargarh District, were
all smiles when they started class in a recently-opened
UNICEF-supported school.
The new three-classroom primary school in the province of
Southern Punjab is bright, modern and airy – quite a
difference from their old school, which was destroyed in
last summer’s devastating floods. Each classroom is
well-equipped with desks, chairs and a blackboard, along
with learning materials like books, notebooks and learning
games.
“We have been provided with a wonderful school, furniture
and teaching materials,” says Headmaster Mukhtar Ahmad, who
cannot speak highly enough of the new school. “This is
something for us to rejoice. It is a lifetime reward for me
that children of this area and village receive education and
this will make me very happy."
Transition in recovery
The
temporary schools represent a significant move from the
emergency response phase of the flood disaster towards early
recovery, and are a key component of the UN ‘Delivering as
One’ programme.
The floods that hit Pakistan last July and September took a
terrible toll on the country, affecting almost 20 million
people. Children’s education was badly hit, with more than
10,000 schools damaged. Millions of families were displaced
from their houses, seeking refuge in tent camps far from
home.
There, UNICEF-supported Temporary Learning Centres, or tent
classrooms, were set up, which enabled more than 260,000
children to continue their education, and in many cases
attend school for the first time. In addition, UNICEF and
partners distributed school supplies to more than half a
million children.
‘Learning
critical’
UNICEF Representative in Pakistan Dan Rohrmann, who opened
the latest school, says it is critical that learning
continues during humanitarian responses, “in order to create
some normalcy for children during times of crisis.”
“Even more important is that they can continue with more
formal learning and help fulfil the fundamental right of all
children to a quality education,” he explains. “The
Transitional School Structures are quick to build and
relatively inexpensive.”
Right to education
The schools are also an important community resource. “Apart
from their use in general education, schools offer a
convergence point for a whole range of community
engagement,” says Mr. Rohrmann. “They are essentially a hub
for local development and wellbeing, and represent
education’s central place in the community.”
These include providing a venue for mothers to have their
children screened for malnutrition, and for children to
learn the importance of good hygiene. Construction of the
Transitional School Structures is supported by Australian
Agency for International Development, the Government of
Italy, and the OPEC Fund for International Development.
Courtesy: UNICEF
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Pakissan.com;
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