The Supreme Court of Pakistan expressed strong reservations on Thursday over the two-decade delay in reconstructing schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following the 2005 earthquake, granting the provincial education department a final six-month extension to improve the dilapidated condition of its public institutions.
A five-member constitutional bench, presided over by Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, was hearing a suo motu case regarding the poor state of government schools across the province. During the hearing, the court admonished the department for its slow pace of progress.
The Additional Secretary for Education (KP) informed the judiciary that the implementation of previous court directives was in progress. However, the bench highlighted significant and long-standing shortcomings in the department’s efforts.
Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail pointedly remarked that many educational facilities destroyed in the 2005 earthquake had still not been rebuilt. He emphasized that the focus must be on repairing existing structures in addition to constructing new ones.
Adding to the scrutiny, Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi noted specific projects that remained incomplete, including work on 107 school units in Mansehra and 10 in Kohistan. In response, the education official requested a three-month period, attributing delays to snowfall and severe winter conditions.
The bench conveyed its growing impatience. Justice Rizvi questioned the timeline, stating, ‘It has been 20 years since the 2005 earthquake – we are now in 2025. How much more time will it take?’ Justice Mandokhail also stressed that officials must fulfill their duties responsibly.
Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan reminded the department that the court had already provided extensions and now expected tangible results, clarifying that the judiciary’s role is to monitor implementation, not to undertake construction itself.
Ultimately, the bench accepted the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Education Department’s plea for more time, granting a six-month extension to comply with its orders. The court mandated the submission of a comprehensive and detailed progress report at the end of this period.