Aftermath of Pakistan's Massive Floods... "Increase in Early Marriages Due to Economic Hardships"

Intact Schools Used as 'Shelter Facilities'
"Greater Risk of Girls Falling Behind in Education"

On August 28 (local time), displaced residents in Zaparab?d, Balochistan province, southwestern Pakistan, are loading household items onto rafts to escape the flood-affected area.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Concerns over an education crisis are growing as millions of students in Pakistan are still unable to return to school following massive flood damage.

On the 18th (local time), according to foreign media including dpa news agency, although recovery efforts are underway in the flooded areas, millions of students remain unable to return to school.

Earlier, during the recent monsoon season in Pakistan, much heavier rainfall than usual caused severe damage. About one-third of the country was submerged, 33 million people?15% of the population?were affected by the floods, and approximately 1,720 people lost their lives.

According to reports, the international child rights NGO Save the Children stated that 23,900 schools were destroyed by the floods. Additionally, around 5,000 schools, which were relatively less damaged, were used as relief facilities and thus lost their original function.

In Sindh Province in the south, where flood damage was concentrated, more than 12,000 schools were affected. There are about 2 million students in Sindh Province who cannot attend school immediately. As a result, the flood damage is turning into an education crisis.

In some households, as economic difficulties worsen, there are cases where girls are being married off to reduce the burden of support. Kuram Gondal, head of Save the Children Pakistan, said, "Especially for girls, the risk of dropping out of education is greater as child marriages have increased after the floods."

International organizations are accelerating support for Pakistan. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank (WB) have each pledged $2.3 to $2.5 billion (approximately 3.03 trillion to 3.5 trillion KRW) and $2 billion (approximately 2.8 trillion KRW), respectively. The United Nations (UN) also raised its humanitarian aid for Pakistan from $160 million (approximately 230 billion KRW) to $816 million (approximately 1.2 trillion KRW) on the 4th.

Various countries are also providing relief supplies and funds to Pakistan. The United States announced in August that it would send $30 million (approximately 4 billion KRW) in humanitarian aid to flood-affected Pakistan, and Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and China have provided relief supplies. South Korea decided to provide humanitarian aid worth $300,000 (400 million KRW) in August and recently decided on additional support totaling $2 million (approximately 2.8 billion KRW), including $1.7 million.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.