Islamabad:As ensuring safe, disaster-resilient schools is vital for education and development, the UN-Habitat’s Disaster Resilient School Infrastructure (DRSI) Project has strengthened 150 vulnerable schools, enhancing structural safety, classrooms and gender-responsive WASH facilities for more than 31,000 students, including around 13,600 girls.
The UN-Habitat hosted a high-level event highlighting the progress of the DRSI Project, which targets schools in disaster-prone areas affected by earthquakes, floods and climate hazards. Many of these buildings were constructed before Pakistan’s 2007 Building Code and lacked seismic safeguards, making retrofitting, repair, and upgrading essential.
Funded with 471 million Japanese Yen by the government of Japan and the Japan International Cooperation Agency and jointly implemented with UNDP in coordination with KP’s Elementary and Secondary Education Department, the initiative has rehabilitated 300 WASH facilities, including 66 in girls’ schools, while providing structurally safer classrooms with improved ventilation and lighting.
Speaking at the event, Senior Advisor and Programme Manager at UN-Habitat Jawed Ali Khan emphasised the importance of safer school environments, noting that these upgrades allow children to learn with confidence and security.
JICA Chief Representative Naoaki Miyata highlighted how the project enhances resilience across Buner, Swat, Malakand, Peshawar, Chitral and Dir regions. Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan Akamatsu Shuichi praised the collaborative effort, calling it a vital investment in protecting children and ensuring continuity of education during disasters.
Deputy Programme Manager at UN-Habitat Hamid Mumtaz emphasised the project’s long-term impact, noting UN-Habitat’s two decades of experience in disaster risk reduction, safer reconstruction and multi-hazard risk assessments in Pakistan.
Local officials and NDMA representatives underscored that resilient school infrastructure saves lives, strengthens communities and supports national disaster preparedness, while reinforcing Pakistan’s commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 4 for safe and inclusive education. They said the project demonstrated how targeted investment in structural safety, WASH facilities and resilience measures could bring children back to school.
