Safe Return to Learning – In flood affected Districts of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Context

The number of children not enrolled in schools is highest among the 5-9 age group, with an estimated 5 million children. As the children progress beyond primary-school age, the number of OOSC doubles, with around 11.4 million adolescents aged 10-14 not receiving formal education.

The situation has further worsened due to the recent floods, interrupting the education of more than 3.5 million children, while damaging 25,993 schools in Pakistan, out of which 2859 are in KPK and 2079 in Punjab. The number of damaged schools increased further in the floods of 2025  pushing millions of children out of school further adding to the existing out of school children.

Description

• The ” Safe Return to Learning – In flood affected Districts of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is being executed across 7 districts, with the National Rural Support Programme (NRSP) implementing operations in South Punjab (specifically Multan and Khanewal) and Swabi in KP. Simultaneously, the Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP) implementing the project in KP, covering Swat, Shangla, Buner, Mansehra and Battagram.
• The Project aimed to help mitigate the academic losses of school-going children since the 2025 floods of Pakistan in the target districts. The specific objective of the Project ensured that children, especially girls, have access to education and utilise safe, protected and conducive learning environments in 293 target schools across the target districts.