LARKANA: The district education officer-primary (DEO-Primary) has accorded permission to immediately relocate the 93 crumbling school buildings declared ‘dangerous’ to safe places within their precincts.

These schools have 5,230 enrolled students, besides teaching and non-teaching staff who all would be temporarily adjusted in nearby safer school buildings or mosques, private guest rooms (called autaqs in local parlance) or tent schools, according to sources in the DEO office.

Speaking to Dawn on Saturday, DEO Aneesur Rehman Jalbani said that the 93 school buildings had been declared ‘dangerous’ after an extensive survey jointly carried out by the monitoring and evaluation section of the education department and the heads of these schools.

It was revealed that these primary schools are located in Larkana (city), Dokri, Bakrani and Ratodero.

Over 5,200 students, staff of 93 schools will be temporarily accommodated in nearby safe schools, mosques or private guest rooms, says official

Mr Jalbani referred to a July 30, 2026 letter from the chief monitoring officer of the Education department’s monitoring and evaluation section, and said that the permission was accorded in order to secure the lives of students and teachers.

He, through a communication dated Aug 7, 2026, had asked the taluka education officers (male and female) and the heads of the schools concerned to ensure the shifting of the schools with immediate effect under intimation to his office.

Replying to a query, he said the department would undertake a ground survey regarding the situation during the relocation process.

He said that previously, around 250 school buildings were found to be in dangerous condition but during the course of time, either they were repaired or reconstructed to accommodate their students.

Going through the list of 93 schools, it appeared that most of them are for male students.

It was learnt that Chief Monitoring Officer Dr Ahmed Shah, in his August 30, 2026 letter to the Larkana DEO-Prim­ary, had asked for immediate shifting or relocation of highly dangerous schools. About the status of the 93 schools’ enrolment, sources in the DEO’s office said the number was around 5,230. However, the ground assessment and verification would be started shortly about the current condition of the schools, said DEO Jalbani. The big question is whether the mosques, autaqs or other temporary accommodations would have the essential facilities, like water and electricity. The issue of the distance between these places and homes of students and staff would also count.

When asked why the Works and Research Section of the education department was not taken on board to undertake the survey, Mr Jalbani said this time the department had assigned the task to the monitoring and evaluation section.

Answering another question why the Sindh Building Control Authority was involved in the survey, the officer offered no comment.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2026