KARACHI: The Sindh government has ordered all teaching activity in hazardous school buildings to stop immediately, announcing a zero-tolerance policy against private schools operating from dangerous or deteriorating premises.
The Sindh unsafe school buildings order was issued by the education department on Wednesday, with a zero-tolerance policy against private schools operating from dangerous or deteriorating premises.
The education department has directed a comprehensive inspection of private school buildings within 15 days. Students in unsafe buildings must be moved to safer locations, and the registrations of schools housed in dilapidated buildings will be reviewed, with legal action or closure as possible outcomes.
Officials must submit an inspection report within 15 days setting out how many students are affected and the condition of each building.
Sindh unsafe school buildings: what the order requires
The directive covers private schools operating from buildings judged dangerous or deteriorating, a crackdown officials framed as a matter of student safety rather than paperwork. For school managements, the message is blunt: institutions that cannot provide safe premises face a review of their registration and possible closure.
The order also puts the province’s inspection machinery on the clock. Within 15 days, the education department must complete premises inspections, relocate affected students, and deliver a report detailing student numbers and building conditions. That is a tight timetable for a province with a large private-school sector, and how it is carried out will determine whether the policy has teeth.
The move follows the province’s recent push to professionalise teaching, including international recognition for Sindh’s teacher licensing policy. Where that reform raised the bar for who teaches, this one raises the bar for where teaching happens. For teachers working in poorly maintained buildings, it is a welcome signal. [link inspiring-role-of-teachers-pakistan]
What happens next for parents and students
For parents, the immediate question is where displaced students will go, and whether safer buildings are actually available at short notice. The order requires relocation, not just closure, which means the department must find receiving schools or temporary premises before teaching can resume for affected children.
For school owners, the 15-day window leaves little room to stall. Buildings that fail inspection face registration review, and the department has flagged legal action as an option. The broader lesson reaches beyond Sindh: the condition of school infrastructure has become a live political issue across Pakistan, with Punjab’s education crisis already under scrutiny.
Parents who believe their child’s school is unsafe can also watch for the department’s 15-day report, which must set out student numbers and building conditions. The order’s zero-tolerance framing means warnings are off the table: schools that fail the inspection face registration review and, if the department follows through, closure. For the children who must change schools mid-session, the disruption will be real. But the department’s position is that a disrupted term is better than a dangerous classroom.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the Sindh government order?
An immediate halt to teaching in hazardous buildings, a 15-day inspection of private school premises, relocation of affected students, and a review of registrations of schools in dilapidated buildings.
Which schools are affected?
Private schools operating from dangerous or deteriorating buildings. The education department will determine which premises qualify through inspections.
What happens to students in unsafe buildings?
They must be shifted to safer locations, and officials must report student numbers and building conditions within 15 days.
