Peshawar district administration orders 13 private schools to relocate students after an inspection identifies dangerous buildings following the October 15 collapse that killed 34 people.
PESHAWAR: The Peshawar district administration has declared 13 private school buildings dangerous and ordered their managements to vacate the premises immediately, following an inspection that identified serious structural risks.
The action comes less than three weeks after a school building collapsed in Peshawar’s Dir Colony, killing 34 people, including 32 children and two teachers.
According to the district administration, an inspection team submitted a report identifying structural weaknesses in the 13 private school buildings. Notices have subsequently been issued to their managements, directing them to shift students to safe premises without delay.
The administration warned that school managements would be held responsible for any untoward incident resulting from non-compliance. It also cautioned that continuing educational activities in unsafe buildings could endanger students’ lives.
Dir Colony school collapse
The evacuation orders follow the October 15 collapse at Al-Khair Education System in Peshawar’s Dir Colony, where part of a school building came down while classes were in progress.
The incident claimed 34 lives, including 32 children and two teachers. According to police, around 110 children were present in the two-storey building when the incident occurred.
Rescue operations were reportedly complicated by the school’s location in a congested neighbourhood with narrow streets.
Police said the roof of a second-floor nursery classroom collapsed, bringing down the room beneath it. Capital City Police Officer Saeed Ahmad said the building appeared to have been overloaded and questioned the use of brick in its lintel, saying it could not withstand the weight placed on it.
He described the incident as a case of serious negligence and said investigators would examine possible violations of building regulations.
Case registered against school owners
Police registered a case against the school’s owners, shareholders and individuals involved in its construction. The FIR cited complaints about the poor condition of the walls and roofs, alleging that the owners had failed to address the concerns.
The institution was operated by Al-Khair welfare trust. Police have detained the school’s owner and principal.
Officials are also examining whether the institution had obtained the required no-objection certificate (NOC), secured operational permission and undergone mandatory safety inspections.
Province-wide safety audit ordered
Following the tragedy, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi ordered a province-wide structural safety audit of educational institutions to identify dangerous buildings and ensure corrective measures.
President Asif Ali Zardari also called for a comprehensive investigation and emphasised the need to ensure that schools comply with safety standards.
Thousands of government classrooms declared dilapidated
Concerns over school infrastructure extend beyond private institutions. According to official sources, more than 36,000 classrooms in government schools across KP have been declared dilapidated.
Of these, 19,224 require reconstruction, while another 17,743 need repairs. The sources said no government-level measures had been taken to address the deteriorating facilities.
Official figures show that KP has 34,784 government schools and 11,542 registered private schools.
Meanwhile, thousands of unregistered private schools are reportedly operating across the province without being included in the Private Schools Regulatory Authority’s (PSRA) records. Officials said standard operating procedures were not being implemented at these institutions, adding that action was taken against unregistered schools when complaints were received.
Other school accidents reported in 2026
The Peshawar tragedy is among several deadly structural failures involving educational institutions reported in Pakistan this year.
On February 21, a shed at an under-construction government girls’ high school in Sialkot collapsed, killing an eighth-grade student. On May 7, four students died when a classroom roof collapsed at a private school in Dera Ghazi Khan.
The latest evacuation orders have renewed concerns about the structural safety of educational institutions and the need for effective inspections to protect students and school staff.
About The Author
