Building back better: post-earthquake responses and educational challenges in Pakistan

A powerful earthquake struck the northern areas of Pakistan, India and Afghanistan on 8 October, 2005. The timing of the quake and the low quality of school construction were factors in its major impact on the education sector.

This study documents the education sector's response to the earthquake in Northern Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) from its immediate aftermath to July 2007.  It presents the experience of educators and educational planners, managers and implementers who were engaged in new co-ordination mechanisms - the Education Clusters - at central and hub level.

It also discusses the successes and challenges of the policy and programme interventions developed across the affected areas of the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) and AJK.  The author found that in comparison with other emergency situations, funding for education activities in the relief period was relatively generous, yet funding for longer-term recovery and reconstruction programmes proved to be more difficult to secure.  Also challenging was the need to ensure the convergence of reconstruction efforts with ongoing sector development processes.

The author argues that without long-term startegic, sector-wide planning, the vision of building back better will only be partially achieved.  Continuity of funding and co-ordination of efforts by government, donors, and international financial institutions, UN agencies and NGOs are required.

In particular, the study highlights:

• the consequence of a lack of emergency preparedness in a natural disaster-prone area
• the importance of strong government leadership int he earthquake response, and the critical need for sector co-ordination that includes national educational authorities at central, provincial and district levels
• the value of systematic sector co-ordination at central and field level and the requirements that this places on agencies and individuals
• the value of the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) "Minimum standards for education in emergencies, chronic crises and early reconstruction" as a common policy framework and the need for more attention to application processes
• the importance of a sector-wide strategic vision and planning and the need for innovative partnership models for implementation
• The importance of: a strong UNICEF-UNESCO partnership in leading a co-ordinated education sector response within the context of the 'One UN' Reform; stronger partnerships for education with other relevant UN agencies, espeically the World Food Programme; and, improved partnership models for UN partnership with NGOs and community-based organisations.