The roof collapse at a private school here on Thursday morning, which claimed the lives of 32 children and a woman teacher and injured scores of others, has exposed the performance of regulatory authorities responsible for ensuring the safety and quality of educational institutions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
While messages of grief and condolences poured in from political leaders and government officials following the tragedy, questions remained about the role of the authorities responsible for registering private schools, inspecting their buildings, and ensuring compliance with safety standards. The incident has exposed serious weaknesses in the regulatory mechanism, which involves several bodies, including the Elementary and Secondary Education Department, the Directorate of Education, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa PrivateSchools Regulatory Authority (KP-PSRA), education boards, and other relevant institutions.
These bodies are entrusted with regulating educational institutions, monitoring their performance, and ensuring that students receive an education in safe and suitable facilities. However, the tragedy has renewed concerns about whether these responsibilities are being fulfilled effectively and whether inspection and registration procedures are adequate to prevent such disasters.
The Elementary and Secondary Education Department constituted a three-member fact-finding committee to investigate the incident at Al-Khair Education System in Dir Colony. According to the notification, the committee is headed by Javid Iqbal, managing director of the KP-PSRA, while Muhammad Farooq, deputy secretary of the department, is its second member.
A third member is to be co-opted by the committee. The committee has been tasked with investigating the circumstances that led to the classroom roof collapse, identifying any negligence, structural deficiencies, or other contributing factors, and recommending measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
It has also been directed to submit its report on the day of the incident. However, the decision to appoint the managing director of the regulatory authority responsible for private schools as head of the inquiry committee, along with a deputy secretary from the same department, and to empower the committee to co-opt a third member, has raised serious questions about the impartiality and scope of the investigation.
As the tragedy has cast doubt on the credibility of both the Education Department and the regulatory authority, concerns have emerged over whether the committee can conduct a fair and transparent inquiry. The tragedy calls for a high-level, impartial judicial inquiry to establish responsibility and recommend appropriate action against those found negligent.
Such an investigation should examine the roles of the relevant government departments, regulatory officials, school owners and management, building contractors, and other parties involved in the construction, approval, registration, and inspection of the school building. It should also determine whether the building met the required structural and safety standards, whether inspections were conducted in accordance with the rules, and whether any warning signs or violations had previously been ignored.
Meanwhile, Adviser to the Governor on Health Lieutenant General (retd) Nigar Johar visited Lady Reading Hospital along with Health Secretary Matiullah to review the treatment being provided to the injured children. During the visit, she reviewed the medical facilities and directed the administration to ensure the best possible medical care for all victims.