Floods and the planning for education [The News]

It has been more than six months since the catastrophic floods swept most of Pakistan’s landmass. The climate-induced calamity disrupted the lives of 33 million of the country’s most vulnerable people, including an estimated 16 million children.

After the passage of about half a year, the situation on the ground remains bleak with a majority of families battling acute food shortage, malnourishment and disease. Despite various commitments made during bilateral meetings and the UN conference in Geneva during January, Pakistan has not received the sort of international support that a calamity of this magnitude demands. This has put the future of the millions of affected households in a limbo.

Amid this gloomy situation, many might write off education as a luxury. Some might even go as far as to label those who demand the continuation of learning for the affected children as being divorced from reality or elitist. However, now is a time more critical than ever before to demand our children’s right to education.

Historically, Pakistan has remained a disaster-prone country. Any socio-economic progress made in times of calm is disrupted and often pushed back to square one as soon as a calamity strikes. This has been a huge contributing factor vis-à-vis the dismal education indicators that Pakistan has been struggling against for decades. Lack of emergency preparedness and coordination across most sectors, especially those related to social welfare, such as education prevents the state from coming up with a meaningful response.

We are very well aware of the gaining effect of climate change on Pakistan. Despite contributing less than 1 percent of the global carbon emissions, it ranks 8th on the list of countries most vulnerable to climate change with a recorded increase in glacial melting, erratic rainfalls, extreme temperatures, forest fires, flash floods and other life-threatening climate-related events. This sobering reality indicates that last year’s floods might very well be the beginning of climate-triggered disasters in the country. Decades of battling the same sorry scenario have not taught us anything at all.

Data collected for a recent rapid response research, Towards a Resilient Education Recovery from Pakistan’s Floods, authored by Dr Moizza B Sarwar, reveals that no tangible technical or financial investment was made in education to protect students from disruption of education in 2022. This is despite the fact that many of the currently flood-affected districts had also faced floods in 2010-11. This suggests that there has been a lack of preparedness and coordination across sectors that has hindered the state’s ability to offer a meaningful response.

Unfortunately, this is not the only glaring gap in Pakistan’s emergency response when it comes to education. The biggest hurdle in the way of a resilient education system is perhaps the mindset of the education planners and disaster managers. For instance, efforts to recover losses to education after an emergency in Pakistan are almost always narrowly focused on the rebuilding of damaged school infrastructure without due consideration for ensuring that the rebuilt schools are disaster resilient.

Instead of waiting for the re-building of schools, unharmed buildings in the communities should be rented to set up classrooms and begin learning activities. It is equally important to incentivise education for traditionally marginalised groups of students such as girls.

Additionally, medium- and long-term responses after past disasters have also failed to factor in the crucial role of remedial learning programmes to help affected students make up for the lost period of learning. A lack of focus on these two aspects has repeatedly contributed to recurrent episodes of disrupted education on the one hand and hugely compromised learning outcomes on the other. Thus, a truly meaningful disaster response in education sector must entail critical infrastructure that can withstand future shocks and a school system that is prepared to diagnose affected students’ learning needs and respond accordingly.

The study also identified several promising practices and lessons learnt that can inform the development of more resilient education systems. These include improving the disaster preparedness and response capacities of schools and communities, providing psychosocial support to students and teachers, promoting distance and flexible learning options, ensuring continuity of education services during emergencies and involving local stakeholders in the decision-making processes.

In the short term, education planners and disaster managers must understand that the learning needs of the millions of affected children cannot wait for the long and tedious process entailing the reconstruction of schools. Instead of waiting for the re-building of schools to get children back into classrooms, unharmed buildings in the communities should be rented to set up classrooms and begin learning activities. At the same time, it is equally important to incentivise education for traditionally marginalised groups of students such as girls, children with disabilities and transgender students.

Simultaneously, the education system must also have adequate planning in place to help students make up for the lost period of learning. This calls for conducting a baseline of students’ learning levels and using that data to establish learning targets at the district and school levels. The head teachers across the public school system need to be both financially and technically empowered to ensure the successful development and roll-out of school disaster response plans, and the roll-out of remedial learning programmes. Such a step would not merely quicken the pace of the post-disaster education response but will also ensure a bottom-up approach that is necessary to meet the unique needs of each school and its students.

For any of this to materialise, there is an urgent need for sustained funding and political commitment to support education resilience in Pakistan. The government must allocate adequate resources to education and disaster risk reduction, establish stronger partnerships with civil society organisations and the private sector and prioritise the needs of the most marginalised and vulnerable groups, including girls, children with disabilities and those living in remote and conflict-affected areas.

The writer is the national coordinator for Pakistan Coalition for Education and the Malala Fund Education Champion. She can be contacted at zehra@pcepak.org & on Twitter @zehra2576.

Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/1044145-floods-and-the-planning-for-education

Experts call for flood-resilient education system [Dawn]

ISLAMABAD: Experts stressed on the need for immediate measures to recover the loss of learning during floods and develop a flood-resilient education system to prevent disruption to education in such calamities.

They were gathered at the launch of a report on the post-flood education situation in Pakistan, 'Towards a Resilient Education Recovery from Pakistan's Floods - Rapid Response Research' published by Pakistan Coalition for Education (PCE) in collaboration with Education Champion Network (ECN).

According to a statement, a policy discussion also took place on the sidelines of the launch organised by PCE in collaboration with the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, Malala Fund and ECN. The report highlighted several issues that include a lack of emergency response planning within the education system and a lack of focus on widespread learning poverty among students.

The report calls for rigorous coordination between the district, federal and provincial governments for recovering learning losses and enhancing the educational infrastructure in Pakistan.

The initial findings from this research have been incorporated into the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Government of Pakistan and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) plan, 'Pakistan Floods 2022: Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Framework (4RF)' in the section on education.

Speaking on the occasion, Additional Secretary Waseem Ajmal said: "The 2022 floods have been devastating for Pakistan's development. In education, 3.6 million children were affected and over 34,000 schools were damaged or destroyed. All education departments are now working towards ensuring that education continues for those children affected by the floods, and this week the minister will address the 'Education Cannot Wait for High-Level Financing Conference' in Geneva to advocate for increased support for children affected by floods in Pakistan."

"Several districts across Pakistan that were affected by last year's catastrophic floods are the same as where massive flooding occurred in 2010 and 2011.

However, there is no evidence to suggest that any meaningful measures were taken during the decade between these two calamities to protect against disruption in children's education during times of emergency," PCE Executive Director Zehra Arshad said.

"To structure an effective response to educational needs, this important report asks for using rapid response mechanisms like a public-private partnership to help build schools at a faster pace and more importantly to ensure that all girls and boys who had to experience major learning losses can rapidly keep up with learning," said Javed Malik, programme director, Malala Fund Pakistan office.

The author of the report, Dr Moizza Binat Sarwar said: "The rebuilding of damaged or destroyed infrastructure/schools has been the main strategy of education recovery. While this is important, evidence shows that merely building new brick-and-mortar buildings has had no significant impact on curtailing school drop-outs or improving learning outcomes."

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2023
Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1737324/experts-call-for-flood-resilient-education-system

Flood resilient education system sought for flood-hit student [Nation]

ISLAMABAD - Stakeholders at a policy discussion session have stressed the need to taking immediate measures to recover the loss of learning during floods and develop a flood-resilient education system in order to prevent disruption to education in such calamities.

The policy discussion was arranged on the sidelines of the launch of a report on the postfloods education situation in Pakistan, "Towards a Resilient Education Recovery from Pakistan's Floods - Rapid Response Research," published by Pakistan Coalition for Education (PCE) in collaboration with Education Champion Network (ECN). The PCE held the policy discussion in collaboration with the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training (MOFEPT), Malala Fund, and ECN. Representatives from the World Bank, JICA, FCDO, International Rescue Committee (IRC), UNICEF, and the UNDP participated in the policy roundtable.

The report highlighted several issues in the education response in flood-affected areas. These include a lack of emergency response planning within the education system and a lack of focus on widespread learning poverty among students.

It also calls for rigorous coordination between the district, federal and provincial governments for recovering learning losses and enhancing the educational infrastructure in Pakistan. Speaking on the occasion, Waseem Ajmal, Additional Secretary Education, said, 3.6 million children were affected and over 34,000 schools were damaged during last year’s floods. All education departments, including the education ministry are now working to ensure education continues for those children affected by the floods.

"Several districts across Pakistan that were affected by last year's catastrophic floods are the same as where massive flooding occurred in 2010 and 2011. However, there is no evidence to suggest that any meaningful measures were taken during the decade between these two calamities to protect against disruption in children's education during times of emergency," Executive Director PCE Zehra Arshad expressed. In his remarks, Programme Director Malala Fund Pakistan office, Javed Malik, said that to structure an effective response to educational needs, this important report asks for using rapid response mechanisms like a public-private partnership to help build schools at a faster pace.

The author of the report Dr Moizza Binat Sarwar said that merely constructing buildings has had no significant impact on curtailing school drop-outs or improving learning outcomes as we need to focus on education for both boys as girls equally. The author also highlighted the lack of focus on rebuilding shock-resilient infrastructure that can survive the onset of another natural calamity. During an interactive discussion participants highlighted the need to address long-term learning losses, and the importance of standardising Temporary Learning Centres (TLCs) that had been set up in several flood-hit areas.

Source: https://www.nation.com.pk/16-Feb-2023/flood-resilient-education-system-sought-for-flood-hit-student

Experts stress need to develop flood resilient education system in Pakistan [DailyTimes]

Experts stressed the need to take immediate measures to recover the loss of learning during floods and develop a flood-resilient education system to prevent disruption to education in such calamities. This was stressed during the launch of the report on the post-floods education situation in Pakistan, "Towards a Resilient Education Recovery from Pakistan's Floods - Rapid Response Research," published by Pakistan Coalition for Education (PCE) in collaboration with Education Champion Network (ECN). A high-level policy discussion also took place on the sidelines of the launch organized by PCE in collaboration with the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training (MOFEPT), Malala Fund, and ECN. Representatives from the World Bank, JICA, FCDO, International Rescue Committee (IRC), UNICEF, and the UNDP participated in the policy roundtable.

The report highlighted several issues within education response in flood-affected areas. These include a lack of emergency response planning within the education system and a lack of focus on widespread learning poverty among students. The report calls for rigorous coordination between the district, federal and provincial governments for recovering learning losses and enhancing the educational infrastructure in Pakistan. The report also stresses the need to focus on students' learning, rather than mere enrolment and rebuilding infrastructure.

The initial findings from this research have been incorporated into the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Government of Pakistan and UNDP's plan, 'Pakistan Floods 2022: Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Framework (4RF)' in the section on education.

Speaking on the occasion, Waseem Ajmal, Additional Secretary MOFEPT said, "The 2022 floods have been devastating for Pakistan's development. In education, 3.6 million children were affected and over 34,000 schools were damaged or destroyed. All education departments, including MOFEPT, are now working to ensure education continues for those children affected by the floods, and this week the Honourable Minister will address the Education Cannot Wait for High-Level Financing Conference in Geneva to advocate for increased support for children affected by the floods in Pakistan. So I welcome this important and practical report at this crucial time, and I particularly welcome its focus on recovering lost learning and building long-term resilience. I thank all involved for their efforts."

"Several districts across Pakistan that were affected by last year's catastrophic floods are the same as where massive flooding occurred in 2010 and 2011. However, there is no evidence to suggest that any meaningful measures were taken during the decade between these two calamities to protect against disruption in children's education during times of emergency," expressed Zehra Arshad, Executive Director PCE.

"To structure an effective response to educational needs, this important report asks for using rapid response mechanisms like a public-private partnership to help build schools at a faster pace and more importantly to ensure that all girls and boys who had to experience major learning losses can rapidly keep up with learning," said by Javed Malik, Program Director Malala Fund Pakistan office.

The author of the report Dr. Moizza Binat Sarwar said, "Given past examples from Pakistan, the rebuilding of damaged or destroyed infrastructure/schools has been the main strategy of education recovery. While this is important, evidence shows that merely building new brick-and-mortar buildings has had no significant impact on curtailing school drop-outs or improving learning outcomes." The author also highlighted the lack of focus on rebuilding shock-resilient infrastructure that can survive the onset of another natural calamity.

During an interactive discussion participants highlighted the need to address long-term learning losses, and the importance of standardizing Temporary Learning Centers (TLCs) that had been set up in several flood-hit areas. Participants also discussed the need to avoid duplication of efforts by different development partners to ensure a wider outreach and a more effective overall response. Senior Education Specialist at the World Bank, Izza Farrukh stressed the need to abandon complicated Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) in favor of a simple curriculum and assessment to facilitate the learning of affected students.

Source: https://dailytimes.com.pk/1063238/experts-stress-need-to-develop-flood-resilient-education-system-in-pakistan/

Experts Stress Need To Develop Flood Resilient Education System [UrduPoint]

ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News - 15th Feb, 2023 ): Experts have stressed the need to take immediate measures to recover the loss of learning during floods and develop a flood-resilient education system to prevent disruption of educational process in such calamities.

This was stressed during the launch of the report on the post-floods education situation in the country, 'Towards a Resilient Education Recovery from Pakistan's Floods - Rapid Response Research', published by Pakistan Coalition for Education (PCE) in collaboration with the Education Champion Network (ECN), said a news release issued on Wednesday.

A high-level policy discussion also took place on the sidelines of the launch organized by PCE in collaboration with the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training (MOFEPT) and ECN. Representatives from the World Bank, JICA, FCDO, International Rescue Committee (IRC), UNICEF, and the UNDP participated in the policy roundtable.

The report highlighted several issues within education response in flood-affected areas. These include a lack of emergency response planning within the education system and a lack of focus on widespread learning poverty among students.

The report calls for rigorous coordination between the district, federal and provincial governments for recovering learning losses and enhancing the educational infrastructure in the country. The report also underlined the need to focus on students' learning, rather than mere enrolment and rebuilding infrastructure.

The initial findings from this research have been incorporated into the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives and UNDP's plan, 'Pakistan Floods 2022: Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Framework in the section on education.

Speaking on the occasion, Additional Secretary MOFEPT Waseem Ajmal said, "The 2022 floods have been devastating for Pakistan's development. In education, 3.6 million children were affected and over 34,000 schools were damaged or destroyed. All education departments, including MOFEPT, are now working to ensure education continues for those children affected by the floods.

"Several districts across Pakistan that were affected by last year's catastrophic floods are the same as where massive flooding occurred in 2010 and 2011," expressed Zehra Arshad, Executive Director PCE.

"To structure an effective response to educational needs, this important report asks for using rapid response mechanisms like a public-private partnership to help build schools at a faster pace and more importantly to ensure that all girls and boys who had to experience major learning losses can rapidly keep up with learning," said by Javed Malik, Program Director Malala Fund Pakistan office.

The author of the report Dr Moizza Binat Sarwar said, "Given past examples from Pakistan, the rebuilding of damaged or destroyed infrastructure/schools has been the main strategy of education recovery. While this is important, evidence shows that merely building new brick-and-mortar buildings has had no significant impact on curtailing school drop-outs or improving learning outcomes."Senior Education Specialist at the World Bank, Izza Farrukh stressed the need to abandon complicated Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) in favor of a simple curriculum and assessment to facilitate the learning of affected students.

Source: https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/experts-stress-need-to-develop-flood-resilien-1643509.html

Experts stress need to develop flood resilient education system [app]

ISLAMABAD, Feb 15 (APP):Experts have stressed the need to take immediate measures to recover the loss of learning during floods and develop a flood-resilient education system to prevent disruption of educational process in such calamities.

This was stressed during the launch of the report on the post-floods education situation in the country, ‘Towards a Resilient Education Recovery from Pakistan’s Floods – Rapid Response Research’, published by Pakistan Coalition for Education (PCE) in collaboration with the Education Champion Network (ECN), said a news release issued on Wednesday.

A high-level policy discussion also took place on the sidelines of the launch organized by PCE in collaboration with the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training (MOFEPT) and ECN. Representatives from the World Bank, JICA, FCDO, International Rescue Committee (IRC), UNICEF, and the UNDP participated in the policy roundtable.

The report highlighted several issues within education response in flood-affected areas. These include a lack of emergency response planning within the education system and a lack of focus on widespread learning poverty among students.

The report calls for rigorous coordination between the district, federal and provincial governments for recovering learning losses and enhancing the educational infrastructure in the country. The report also underlined the need to focus on students’ learning, rather than mere enrolment and rebuilding infrastructure.

The initial findings from this research have been incorporated into the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives and UNDP’s plan, ‘Pakistan Floods 2022: Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Framework in the section on education.

Speaking on the occasion, Additional Secretary MOFEPT Waseem Ajmal said, “The 2022 floods have been devastating for Pakistan’s development. In education, 3.6 million children were affected and over 34,000 schools were damaged or destroyed. All education departments, including MOFEPT, are now working to ensure education continues for those children affected by the floods.

“Several districts across Pakistan that were affected by last year’s catastrophic floods are the same as where massive flooding occurred in 2010 and 2011,” expressed Zehra Arshad, Executive Director PCE.

“To structure an effective response to educational needs, this important report asks for using rapid response mechanisms like a public-private partnership to help build schools at a faster pace and more importantly to ensure that all girls and boys who had to experience major learning losses can rapidly keep up with learning,” said by Javed Malik, Program Director Malala Fund Pakistan office.

The author of the report Dr Moizza Binat Sarwar said, “Given past examples from Pakistan, the rebuilding of damaged or destroyed infrastructure/schools has been the main strategy of education recovery. While this is important, evidence shows that merely building new brick-and-mortar buildings has had no significant impact on curtailing school drop-outs or improving learning outcomes.”

Senior Education Specialist at the World Bank, Izza Farrukh stressed the need to abandon complicated Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) in favor of a simple curriculum and assessment to facilitate the learning of affected students.

Source: https://www.app.com.pk/national/experts-stress-need-to-develop-flood-resilient-education-system/

Experts Emphasize On Need To Develop Flood Resilient Education System [TechnologyTimes]

In order to prevent disruptions to education during such calamities, experts emphasize the need to take immediate action to recover from the loss of learning during floods and develop a flood-resilient education system.

This was emphasised at the report's release event, “Towards a Resilient Education Recovery from Pakistan’s Floods: Rapid Response Research,” which was put together by the Pakistan Coalition for Education (PCE) and the Education Champion Network (ECN).

Alongside the launch, a high-level policy discussion was held, which was hosted by PCE in association with the Malala Fund, ECN, and the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training (MOFEPT).

The policy roundtable on flood-resilient education system was attended by representatives from the World Bank, JICA, FCDO, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), UNICEF, and the UNDP. The report brought up a number of problems with the way education is handled in flood-affected areas. Among them are a lack of emergency response planning within the educational system and a lack of attention to students' pervasive learning poverty.

The report urges strict coordination between the district, federal, and provincial governments in order to improve Pakistan's educational infrastructure and recover lost learning. The need to put more emphasis on student learning than just increasing enrollment and rebuilding infrastructure is also stressed in the report.

The Ministry of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, the Government of Pakistan, and UNDP's plan, “Pakistan Floods 2022: Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Framework (4RF),” includes an education section that incorporates the preliminary findings from this study.

Waseem Ajmal, Additional Secretary MOFEPT, commented on the occasion, saying, “The floods of 2022 have been devastating for Pakistan’s development. 3.6 million students were impacted in the educational system, and more than 34,000 schools were destroyed or damaged. The honourable minister will speak this week at the Education Cannot Wait for High-Level Financing Conference in Geneva to urge increased support for children affected by the floods in Pakistan.”

“All education departments, including MOFEPT, are currently working to ensure that education continues for those children affected by the floods. I therefore appreciate this report’s importance and usefulness at this critical juncture, and I especially appreciate its emphasis on restoring lost knowledge and fostering long-term resilience. I appreciate the hard work of everyone involved.”

This report highlights the need for rapid response mechanisms like a public-private partnership to help build schools at a faster pace and ensure that all girls and boys who have experienced major learning losses can rapidly keep up with learning during times of emergency.

It also suggests that no meaningful measures were taken during the decade between 2010 and 2011 to protect against disruptions in children's education.

The author of the report, Dr. Moizza Binat Sarwar, highlighted the lack of focus on rebuilding shock-resilient infrastructure in Pakistan. During an interactive discussion, participants highlighted the need to address long-term learning losses and standardize Temporary Learning Centers (TLCs).

They also discussed the need to avoid duplication of efforts by different development partners and abandon complicated Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) in favor of a simple curriculum and assessment to facilitate the learning of affected students.

Source: https://www.technologytimes.pk/2023/02/15/experts-emphasize-to-develop-flood-resilient-education-system

Need to Develop Flood Resilient Education System in Pakistan to Avoid Learning Loss, Experts [NewsUpdateTimes]

Experts stressed the need to take immediate measures to recover the loss of learning during floods and develop a flood-resilient education system to prevent disruption to education in such calamities. This was stressed during the launch of the report on the post-floods education situation in Pakistan, “Towards a Resilient Education Recovery from Pakistan’s Floods – Rapid Response Research,” published by Pakistan Coalition for Education (PCE) in collaboration with Education Champion Network (ECN). A high-level policy discussion also took place on the sidelines of the launch organized by PCE in collaboration with the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training (MOFEPT), Malala Fund, and ECN. Representatives from the World Bank, JICA, FCDO, International Rescue Committee (IRC), UNICEF, and the UNDP participated in the policy roundtable.

The report highlighted several issues within education response in flood-affected areas. These include a lack of emergency response planning within the education system and a lack of focus on widespread learning poverty among students. The report calls for rigorous coordination between the district, federal and provincial governments for recovering learning losses and enhancing the educational infrastructure in Pakistan. The report also stresses the need to focus on students’ learning, rather than mere enrolment and rebuilding infrastructure.

The initial findings from this research have been incorporated into the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Government of Pakistan and UNDP’s plan, ‘Pakistan Floods 2022: Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Framework (4RF)’ in the section on education.

Speaking on the occasion, Waseem Ajmal, Additional Secretary MOFEPT said, “The 2022 floods have been devastating for Pakistan’s development. In education, 3.6 million children were affected and over 34,000 schools were damaged or destroyed. All education departments, including MOFEPT, are now working to ensure education continues for those children affected by the floods, and this week the Honourable Minister will address the Education Cannot Wait for High-Level Financing Conference in Geneva to advocate for increased support for children affected by the floods in Pakistan. So I welcome this important and practical report at this crucial time, and I particularly welcome its focus on recovering lost learning and building long-term resilience. I thank all involved for their efforts.”

“Several districts across Pakistan that were affected by last year’s catastrophic floods are the same as where massive flooding occurred in 2010 and 2011. However, there is no evidence to suggest that any meaningful measures were taken during the decade between these two calamities to protect against disruption in children’s education during times of emergency,” expressed Zehra Arshad, Executive Director PCE.

“To structure an effective response to educational needs, this important report asks for using rapid response mechanisms like a public-private partnership to help build schools at a faster pace and more importantly to ensure that all girls and boys who had to experience major learning losses can rapidly keep up with learning,” said by Javed Malik, Program Director Malala Fund Pakistan office.

The author of the report Dr. Moizza Binat Sarwar said, “Given past examples from Pakistan, the rebuilding of damaged or destroyed infrastructure/schools has been the main strategy of education recovery. While this is important, evidence shows that merely building new brick-and-mortar buildings has had no significant impact on curtailing school drop-outs or improving learning outcomes.” The author also highlighted the lack of focus on rebuilding shock-resilient infrastructure that can survive the onset of another natural calamity.

During an interactive discussion participants highlighted the need to address long-term learning losses, and the importance of standardizing Temporary Learning Centers (TLCs) that had been set up in several flood-hit areas. Participants also discussed the need to avoid duplication of efforts by different development partners to ensure a wider outreach and a more effective overall response.

Senior Education Specialist at the World Bank, Izza Farrukh stressed the need to abandon complicated Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) in favor of a simple curriculum and assessment to facilitate the learning of affected students.

Source: https://newsupdatetimes.com/need-to-develop-flood-resilient-education-system-in-pakistan-to-avoid-learning-loss-experts/

Need to Develop Flood Resilient Education System in Pakistan to Avoid Learning Loss, Experts [TheDaySpring]

Experts stressed the need to take immediate measures to recover the loss of learning during floods and develop a flood-resilient education system to prevent disruption to education in such calamities. This was stressed during the launch of the report on the post-floods education situation in Pakistan, "Towards a Resilient Education Recovery from Pakistan’s Floods - Rapid Response Research," published by Pakistan Coalition for Education (PCE) in collaboration with Education Champion Network (ECN). A high-level policy discussion also took place on the sidelines of the launch organized by PCE in collaboration with the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training (MOFEPT), Malala Fund, and ECN. Representatives from the World Bank, JICA, FCDO, International Rescue Committee (IRC), UNICEF, and the UNDP participated in the policy roundtable.

The report highlighted several issues within education response in flood-affected areas. These include a lack of emergency response planning within the education system and a lack of focus on widespread learning poverty among students. The report calls for rigorous coordination between the district, federal and provincial governments for recovering learning losses and enhancing the educational infrastructure in Pakistan. The report also stresses the need to focus on students' learning, rather than mere enrolment and rebuilding infrastructure.

The initial findings from this research have been incorporated into the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Government of Pakistan and UNDP's plan, 'Pakistan Floods 2022: Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Framework (4RF)' in the section on education.

Speaking on the occasion, Waseem Ajmal, Additional Secretary MOFEPT said, "The 2022 floods have been devastating for Pakistan's development. In education, 3.6 million children were affected and over 34,000 schools were damaged or destroyed. All education departments, including MOFEPT, are now working to ensure education continues for those children affected by the floods, and this week the Honourable Minister will address the Education Cannot Wait for High-Level Financing Conference in Geneva to advocate for increased support for children affected by the floods in Pakistan. So I welcome this important and practical report at this crucial time, and I particularly welcome its focus on recovering lost learning and building long-term resilience. I thank all involved for their efforts.”

"Several districts across Pakistan that were affected by last year's catastrophic floods are the same as where massive flooding occurred in 2010 and 2011. However, there is no evidence to suggest that any meaningful measures were taken during the decade between these two calamities to protect against disruption in children’s education during times of emergency," expressed Zehra Arshad, Executive Director PCE.

"To structure an effective response to educational needs, this important report asks for using rapid response mechanisms like a public-private partnership to help build schools at a faster pace and more importantly to ensure that all girls and boys who had to experience major learning losses can rapidly keep up with learning,” said by Javed Malik, Program Director Malala Fund Pakistan office.

The author of the report Dr. Moizza Binat Sarwar said, "Given past examples from Pakistan, the rebuilding of damaged or destroyed infrastructure/schools has been the main strategy of education recovery. While this is important, evidence shows that merely building new brick-and-mortar buildings has had no significant impact on curtailing school drop-outs or improving learning outcomes." The author also highlighted the lack of focus on rebuilding shock-resilient infrastructure that can survive the onset of another natural calamity.

During an interactive discussion participants highlighted the need to address long-term learning losses, and the importance of standardizing Temporary Learning Centers (TLCs) that had been set up in several flood-hit areas. Participants also discussed the need to avoid duplication of efforts by different development partners to ensure a wider outreach and a more effective overall response.

Senior Education Specialist at the World Bank, Izza Farrukh stressed the need to abandon complicated Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) in favor of a simple curriculum and assessment to facilitate the learning of affected students.

Source: : https://www.thedayspring.com.pk/need-to-develop-flood-resilient-education-system-in-pakistan-to-avoid-learning-loss-experts/

Pakistan Lacking Flood Resilient Education System [SindhCourier]

Islamabad: Experts stressed the need to take immediate measures to recover the loss of learning during floods and develop a flood-resilient education system to prevent disruption to education in such calamities.

This was suggested during the launch of the report on the post-floods education situation in Pakistan, "Towards a Resilient Education Recovery from Pakistan's Floods -Rapid Response Research," published by Pakistan Coalition for Education (PCE) in collaboration with Education Champion Network (ECN).

A high-level policy discussion also took place on the sidelines of the launch organized by PCE in collaboration with the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training (MOFEPT), Malala Fund, and ECN. Representatives from the World Bank, JICA, FCDO, International Rescue Committee (IRC), UNICEF, and the UNDP participated in the policy roundtable.

The report highlighted several issues within education response in flood-affected areas. These include a lack of emergency response planning within the education system and a lack of focus on widespread learning poverty among students. The report calls for rigorous coordination between the district, federal and provincial governments for recovering learning losses and enhancing the educational infrastructure in Pakistan. The report also stresses the need to focus on students’ learning, rather than mere enrolment and rebuilding infrastructure.

The initial findings from this research have been incorporated into the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Government of Pakistan and UNDP’s plan, ‘Pakistan Floods 2022: Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Framework’ in the section on education.

Speaking on the occasion, Waseem Ajmal, Additional Secretary MOFEPT said, "The 2022 floods have been devastating for Pakistan's development. In education, 3.6 million children were affected and over 34,000 schools were damaged or destroyed. All education departments, including MOFEPT, are now working to ensure education continues for those children affected by the floods.

He said that this week the Minister will address the 'Education Cannot Wait for High-Level Financing' Conference in Geneva to advocate for increased support for children affected by the floods in Pakistan.

"Several districts across Pakistan that were affected by last year’s catastrophic floods are the same as where massive flooding occurred in 2010 and 2011. However, there is no evidence to suggest that any meaningful measures were taken during the decade between these two calamities to protect against disruption in children's education during times of emergency,” expressed Zehra Arshad, Executive Director PCE.

"To structure an effective response to educational needs, this important report asks for using rapid response mechanisms like a public-private partnership to help build schools at a faster pace and more importantly to ensure that all girls and boys who had to experience major learning losses can rapidly keep up with learning," said by Javed Malik, Program Director Malala Fund Pakistan office.

The author of the report Dr. Moizza Binat Sarwar said, "Given past examples from Pakistan, the rebuilding of damaged or destroyed infrastructure/schools has been the main strategy of education recovery. While this is important, evidence shows that merely building new brick-and-mortar buildings has had no significant impact on curtailing school drop-outs or improving learning outcomes." The author also highlighted the lack of focus on rebuilding shock-resilient infrastructure that can survive the onset of another natural calamity.

During an interactive discussion participants highlighted the need to address long-term learning losses, and the importance of standardizing Temporary Learning Centers (TLCs) that had been set up in several flood-hit areas. Participants also discussed the need to avoid duplication of efforts by different development partners to ensure a wider outreach and a more effective overall response.

Senior Education Specialist at the World Bank, Izza Farrukh stressed the need to abandon complicated Student Learning Objectives in favor of a simple curriculum and assessment to facilitate the learning of affected students. (PR)

Source: https://sindhcourier.com/pakistan-lacking-flood-resilient-education-system/

Media Coverage (Urdu)

سیلاب اور ہنگامی صورتحال میں تعلیمی نقصان سے بچنے کے لئے فوری منصوبہ بندی کی ضرورت ہے، ماہرین. [اُردو پوائنٹ]

اسلام آباد (اُردو پوائنٹ اخبارتازہ ترین - اے پی پی۔ 15 فروری2023ء) ماہرین نے سیلاب کے دوران تعلیم کے نقصان کی تلافی کے لئے فوری اقدامات کرنے کی ضرورت پر زور دیتے ہوئے کہا ہے کہ اس طرح کی آفات میں تعلیم میں خلل کو روکنے کے لئے ان حالات سے نمٹنے کے لئے تعلیمی نظام تیار کرنے کی ضرورت ہے۔ ان خیالات کا اظہار پاکستان میں سیلاب کے بعد کی تعلیمی صورتحال کے بارے میں شائع ہونے والی حالیہ رپورٹ Towards a Resilient Education Recovery from Pakistan’s Floods - Rapid Response Research کی تقریب رونمائی کے موقع پر کیا گیا ۔

رپورٹ کے ناشر پاکستان کولیشن فار ایجوکیشن (پی سی ای) نے وفاقی وزارت تعلیم و پیشہ ورانہ تربیت ، ملالہ فنڈ اور ایجوکیشن چیمپئن نیٹ ورک کے تعاون سے ایک اعلیٰ سطحی پالیسی مباحثے کا اہتمام کیا جس میں عالمی بینک، جائیکا، ایف سی ڈی او ، انٹرنیشنل ریسکیو کمیٹی ، یونیسف اور یو این ڈی پی کے نمائندگان نے شرکت کی۔

رپورٹ میں پاکستان کے تعلیمی نظام میں پائے جانے والے مسائل کی نشاندہی کی گئی ہے جن میں ہنگامی حالات میں متاثرہ بچوں کی تعلیم کو جاری رکھنے کے حوالے سے منصوبہ بندی کا فقدان سرفہرست ہے۔

رپورٹ میں وفاقی، صوبائی اور ضلعی حکومتوں کے درمیان ہم آہنگی اور طلباء کے محض اندراج کے بجائے ان کے سیکھنے کے عمل کو مؤثر بنانے پر زور دیا گیا۔ اس تحقیق کے ابتدائی نتائج کو وزارت منصوبہ بندی، ترقی اور خصوصی اقدامات، حکومت پاکستان اور یو این ڈی پی کے پلان، 'پاکستان فلڈز 2022: ریسیلینٹ ریکوری، بحالی، اور تعمیر نو کے فریم ورک (4RF)' میں تعلیم کے سیکشن میں شامل کیا گیا ہے۔

اس موقع پر بات کرتے ہوئے ایڈیشنل سیکرٹری وفاقی وزارت تعلیم و پیشہ ورانہ تربیت وسیم اجمل نے کہاکہ 2022 کے سیلاب سے تقریباً 36 لاکھ بچے متاثر ہوئے اور 34,000 سے زائد اسکولوں کی عمارتوں کو مکمل یا جزوی طور پر نقصان پہنچا۔ وفاقی وزارت تعلیم سمیت تمام تعلیمی محکمے اب سیلاب سے متاثرہ بچوں کی تعلیم جاری رکھنے کے اقدامات پرعمل پیرا ہیں، اور اس ہفتے وزیر تعلیم جنیوا میں ہونے والی اعلیٰ سطحی کانفرنس میں پاکستان میں سیلاب سے متاثرہ بچوں کی امداد میں اضافے کا مطالبہ بھی کریں گے۔

میں اس اہم وقت پر اس اہم اور عملی رپورٹ کا خیرمقدم کرتا ہوں۔پاکستان کولیشن فار ایجوکیشن کی سربراہ زہرہ ارشد نے اظہار خیال کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ پاکستان بھر میں کئی اضلاع جو گزشتہ سال کے تباہ کن سیلاب سے متاثر ہوئے تھے وہی ہیں جہاں 2010 اور 2011 میں بھی بڑے پیمانے پر سیلاب آیا تھا۔ تاہم اس بارہ سالہ طویل عرصے کے دوران ایسی حکمت عملی متعارف نہ کروائی جا سکی کہ جس کے ذریعے ہنگامی حالات میں بچوں کی تعلیم کو جاری رکھا جا سکتا۔

ملالہ فنڈ پاکستان کے پروگرام ڈائریکٹر جاوید ملک نے اپنی رائے کا اظہار کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ یہ اہم رپورٹ اسکولوں کی تیز رفتار تعمیر کے لیے پبلک پرائیویٹ پارٹنرشپ کی ترغیب دیتی ہے تاکہ تمام لڑکیوں اور لڑکوں کے تعلیمی سلسلے کو فوری طور پر جاری کیا جا سکے۔ رپورٹ کی مصنفہ ڈاکٹر معیزہ سرور نے کہا کہ پاکستان میں قدرتی آفات کے بعد تباہ شدہ اسکولوں کی تعمیر نو کو تعلیم کی بحالی کے لیے سب سے اہم حکمت عملی مانا جاتا ہے۔

اگرچہ یہ اہم ہے لیکن شواہد کی روشنی میں معلوم ہوتا ہے کہ محض نئی عمارتوں کی تعمیر نہ تو طلباء کو تعلیم ترک کرنے سے روک پاتی ہے اور نہ ہی اسکا تعلیمی معیار کو بہتر بنانے پر کوئی خاص اثر ہوتا ہے۔رپورٹ کے اجراء کے بعد کئے جانے والے مباحثے کے دوران شرکاء نے تجاویز پیش کرتے ہوئے سیلاب زدہ علاقوں میں قائم کئے گئے عارضی تعلیمی مراکز کو معیاری بنانے کی اہمیت پر زور ڈالا۔

https://www.urdupoint.com/daily/livenews/2023-02-15/news-3474963.html

سیلاب اور ہنگامی صورتحال میں تعلیمی نقصان سے بچنے کے لیے فوری منصوبہ بندی کی ضرورت ، ماہرین. [سی۔این۔این۔اردو]

(سی۔این۔این۔اردو): ماہرین نے سیلاب کے دوران تعلیم کے نقصان کی تلافی کے لئے فوری اقدامات کرنے کی ضرورت پر زور دیا اور اس طرح کی آفات میں تعلیم میں خلل کو روکنے کے لئے ان حالات سے نمٹنے کے لیے تعلیمی نظام تیار کرنے کی ضرورت پر زور دیا۔ ان خیالات کا اظہار پاکستان میں سیلاب کے بعد کی تعلیمی صورتحال کے بارے میں شائع ہونے والی حالیہ رپورٹ، “Towards a Resilient Education Recovery from Pakistan’s Floods – Rapid Response Research,” کی تقریب رونمائی کے موقع پر کیا گیا ۔ رپورٹ کے ناشر، پاکستان کولیشن فار ایجوکیشن (PCE) نے وفاقی وزارت تعلیم و پیشہ ورانہ تربیت (MOFEPT)، ملالہ فنڈ، اور ایجوکیشن چیمپیئن نیٹ ورک (ECN) کے تعاون سے ایک اعلیٰ سطحی پالیسی مباحثے کا اہتمام کیا، جس میں عالمی بینک، JICA، FCDO، انٹرنیشنل ریسکیو کمیٹی (IRC)، UNICEF، اور UNDP کے نمائندگان نے شرکت کی۔

اس رپورٹ میں پاکستان کے تعلیمی نظام میں پائے جانے والے مسائل کی نشاندہی کی گئی ہے جن میں ہنگامی حالات میں متاثرہ بچوں کی تعلیم کو جاری رکھنے کے حوالے سے منصوبہ بندی کا فقدان سرفہرست ہے۔ رپورٹ میں وفاقی، صوبائی اور ضلعی حکومتوں کے درمیان ہم آہنگی اور طلباء کے محض اندراج کے بجائے انکے سیکھنے کے عمل کو مؤثر بنانے پر زور دیا گیا۔

اس تحقیق کے ابتدائی نتائج کو وزارت منصوبہ بندی، ترقی اور خصوصی اقدامات، حکومت پاکستان اور یو این ڈی پی کے پلان، ‘پاکستان فلڈز 2022: ریسیلینٹ ریکوری، بحالی، اور تعمیر نو کے فریم ورک (4RF)’ میں تعلیم کے سیکشن میں شامل کیا گیا ہے۔

اس موقع پر بات کرتے ہوئے وسیم اجمل، ایڈیشنل سیکرٹری وفاقی وزارت تعلیم و پیشہ ورانہ تربیت نے کہا، “2022 کے سیلاب سے تقریباً 36 لاکھ بچے متاثر ہوئے اور 34,000 سے زائد اسکولوں کی عمارتوں کو مکمل یا جزوی طور پر نقصان پہنچا۔ وفاقی وزارت تعلیم سمیت تمام تعلیمی محکمے اب سیلاب سے متاثرہ بچوں کی تعلیم جاری رکھنے کے اقدامات پرعمل پیرا ہیں، اور اس ہفتے وزیر تعلیم جنیوا میں ہونے والی اعلیٰ سطحی کانفرنس میں پاکستان میں سیلاب سے متاثرہ بچوں کی امداد میں اضافے کا مطالبہ بھی کریں گے۔ لہٰذا میں اس اہم وقت پر اس اہم اور عملی رپورٹ کا خیرمقدم کرتا ہوں۔” پاکستان کولیشن فار ایجوکیشن کی سربراہ زہرہ ارشد نے اظہار کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ، “پاکستان بھر میں کئی اضلاع جو گزشتہ سال کے تباہ کن سیلاب سے متاثر ہوئے تھے وہی ہیں جہاں 2010 اور 2011 میں بھی بڑے پیمانے پر سیلاب آیا تھا۔ تاہم، اس بارہ سالہ طویل عرصے کے دوران ایسی حکمت عملی متعارف نہ کروائی جا سکی کہ جس کے ذریعے ہنگامی حالات میں بچوں کی تعلیم کو جاری رکھا جا سکتا،” ۔

ملالہ فنڈ پاکستان کے پروگرام ڈائریکٹر، جاوید ملک نے اپنی رائے کا اظہار کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ، “یہ اہم رپورٹ اسکولوں کی تیز رفتار تعمیر کے لیے پبلک پرائیویٹ پارٹنرشپ کی ترغیب دیتی ہے تاکہ تمام لڑکیوں اور لڑکوں کے تعلیمی سلسلے کو فوری طور پر جاری کیا جا سکے،”

رپورٹ کی مصنفہ ڈاکٹر معیزہ سرور نے کہا کہ، “پاکستان میں قدرتی آفات کے بعد تباہ شدہ اسکولوں کی تعمیر نو کو تعلیم کی بحالی کے لیے سب سے اہم حکمت عملی مانا جاتا ہے۔ اگرچہ یہ اہم ہے لیکن شواہد کی روشنی میں معلوم ہوتا ہے کہ محض نئی عمارتوں کی تعمیر نہ تو طلباء کو تعلیم ترک کرنے سے روک پاتی ہے اور نہ ہی اسکا تعلیمی معیار کو بہتر بنانے پر کوئی خاص اثر ہوتا ہے۔”

رپورٹ کے اجراء کے بعد کیے جانے والے مباحثے کے دوران، شرکاء نے تجاویز پیش کرتے ہوئے سیلاب زدہ علاقوں میں قائم کیے گئے عارضی تعلیمی مراکز (TLCs) کو معیاری بنانے کی اہمیت پر زور ڈالا۔

https://cnnurdu.org/2729/?fbclid=IwAR1Txqde7aZ03waYhELgko-wEFHi9kU0DwwEAHe6qXJiy4RVntGbImJEw6o

سیلاب اور ہنگامی صورتحال میں تعلیمی نقصان سے بچنے کے لئے فوری منصوبہ بندی کی ضرورت ہے، ماہرین. [اے پی پی]

اسلام آباد۔15فروری (اے پی پی):ماہرین نے سیلاب کے دوران تعلیم کے نقصان کی تلافی کے لئے فوری اقدامات کرنے کی ضرورت پر زور دیتے ہوئے کہا ہے کہ اس طرح کی آفات میں تعلیم میں خلل کو روکنے کے لئے ان حالات سے نمٹنے کے لئے تعلیمی نظام تیار کرنے کی ضرورت ہے۔ ان خیالات کا اظہار پاکستان میں سیلاب کے بعد کی تعلیمی صورتحال کے بارے میں شائع ہونے والی حالیہ رپورٹ Towards a Resilient Education Recovery from Pakistan’s Floods – Rapid Response Research کی تقریب رونمائی کے موقع پر کیا گیا ۔

رپورٹ کے ناشر پاکستان کولیشن فار ایجوکیشن (پی سی ای) نے وفاقی وزارت تعلیم و پیشہ ورانہ تربیت ، ملالہ فنڈ اور ایجوکیشن چیمپئن نیٹ ورک کے تعاون سے ایک اعلیٰ سطحی پالیسی مباحثے کا اہتمام کیا جس میں عالمی بینک، جائیکا، ایف سی ڈی او ، انٹرنیشنل ریسکیو کمیٹی ، یونیسف اور یو این ڈی پی کے نمائندگان نے شرکت کی۔رپورٹ میں پاکستان کے تعلیمی نظام میں پائے جانے والے مسائل کی نشاندہی کی گئی ہے جن میں ہنگامی حالات میں متاثرہ بچوں کی تعلیم کو جاری رکھنے کے حوالے سے منصوبہ بندی کا فقدان سرفہرست ہے۔

رپورٹ میں وفاقی، صوبائی اور ضلعی حکومتوں کے درمیان ہم آہنگی اور طلباء کے محض اندراج کے بجائے ان کے سیکھنے کے عمل کو مؤثر بنانے پر زور دیا گیا۔ اس تحقیق کے ابتدائی نتائج کو وزارت منصوبہ بندی، ترقی اور خصوصی اقدامات، حکومت پاکستان اور یو این ڈی پی کے پلان، ‘پاکستان فلڈز 2022: ریسیلینٹ ریکوری، بحالی، اور تعمیر نو کے فریم ورک (4RF)’ میں تعلیم کے سیکشن میں شامل کیا گیا ہے۔اس موقع پر بات کرتے ہوئے ایڈیشنل سیکرٹری وفاقی وزارت تعلیم و پیشہ ورانہ تربیت وسیم اجمل نے کہاکہ 2022 کے سیلاب سے تقریباً 36 لاکھ بچے متاثر ہوئے اور 34,000 سے زائد اسکولوں کی عمارتوں کو مکمل یا جزوی طور پر نقصان پہنچا۔

وفاقی وزارت تعلیم سمیت تمام تعلیمی محکمے اب سیلاب سے متاثرہ بچوں کی تعلیم جاری رکھنے کے اقدامات پرعمل پیرا ہیں، اور اس ہفتے وزیر تعلیم جنیوا میں ہونے والی اعلیٰ سطحی کانفرنس میں پاکستان میں سیلاب سے متاثرہ بچوں کی امداد میں اضافے کا مطالبہ بھی کریں گے۔ میں اس اہم وقت پر اس اہم اور عملی رپورٹ کا خیرمقدم کرتا ہوں۔پاکستان کولیشن فار ایجوکیشن کی سربراہ زہرہ ارشد نے اظہار خیال کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ پاکستان بھر میں کئی اضلاع جو گزشتہ سال کے تباہ کن سیلاب سے متاثر ہوئے تھے وہی ہیں جہاں 2010 اور 2011 میں بھی بڑے پیمانے پر سیلاب آیا تھا۔

تاہم اس بارہ سالہ طویل عرصے کے دوران ایسی حکمت عملی متعارف نہ کروائی جا سکی کہ جس کے ذریعے ہنگامی حالات میں بچوں کی تعلیم کو جاری رکھا جا سکتا۔ملالہ فنڈ پاکستان کے پروگرام ڈائریکٹر جاوید ملک نے اپنی رائے کا اظہار کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ یہ اہم رپورٹ اسکولوں کی تیز رفتار تعمیر کے لیے پبلک پرائیویٹ پارٹنرشپ کی ترغیب دیتی ہے تاکہ تمام لڑکیوں اور لڑکوں کے تعلیمی سلسلے کو فوری طور پر جاری کیا جا سکے۔

رپورٹ کی مصنفہ ڈاکٹر معیزہ سرور نے کہا کہ پاکستان میں قدرتی آفات کے بعد تباہ شدہ اسکولوں کی تعمیر نو کو تعلیم کی بحالی کے لیے سب سے اہم حکمت عملی مانا جاتا ہے۔ اگرچہ یہ اہم ہے لیکن شواہد کی روشنی میں معلوم ہوتا ہے کہ محض نئی عمارتوں کی تعمیر نہ تو طلباء کو تعلیم ترک کرنے سے روک پاتی ہے اور نہ ہی اسکا تعلیمی معیار کو بہتر بنانے پر کوئی خاص اثر ہوتا ہے۔رپورٹ کے اجراء کے بعد کئے جانے والے مباحثے کے دوران شرکاء نے تجاویز پیش کرتے ہوئے سیلاب زدہ علاقوں میں قائم کئے گئے عارضی تعلیمی مراکز کو معیاری بنانے کی اہمیت پر زور ڈالا۔

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