Pakistan raises over $9 billion to recover from the floods - what is the plan for education?
This article is written by Manahil Naeem, a final year BSc Economics student at the Lahore University of Management Sciences, Pakistan & Sam Wilson, EdTech & Distance Education Strategist (ODI Fellow) at the Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training, Government of Pakistan.
9th January 2023 marked the largest pledge of international financial support for a climate-affected country in history. At the International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan, co-hosted by the Government of Pakistan and the United Nations, the international community pledged nearly $10 billion to help Pakistan recover from climate-induced floods.
This blog tells the story of what happened at the conference, and especially the key takeaways for education from the newly launched recovery plan the Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Framework (4RF).
What is the context?
Pakistan is one of the top 10 countries hit hardest by climate change even though it is responsible for less than 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions. In summer 2022, heavy rains and melting glaciers, because of rising temperatures, contributed to the heaviest floods ever experienced by the country. 33 million people were affected as a third of the country was underwater and 1700 people lost their lives. Livelihoods and homes were washed away and the economy suffered a huge loss with costs of damages totaling up to $30 billion. Rehabilitation costs are estimated to be $16 billion.
What was the International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan?
The conference, co-chaired by the Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif and the UN Secretary General António Guterres, brought together the international community, governments, private sector and civil society, including a delegation from the Pakistan government including the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and other high-ranking officials.
The conference had two main aims:
Present the Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Framework (4RF, which lays out a multisectoral strategy for rehabilitation and reconstruction.
Secure international support and forge long-term partnerships for building Pakistan’s climate resilience and adaptation.
How much money was raised?
The total financial support promised to Pakistan by donor organizations, countries, and financial partners in the conference was $10 billion ($8.7 billion of which are project loans). This came from:
Islamic Development Bank: $4.2b
The World Bank: $2b
Asian Development Bank: $1.5b
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank: $1b
Saudi Arabia: $1b
What is the Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Framework (4RF)?
The Government of Pakistan and the UN have jointly developed a comprehensive recovery plan - a Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Framework (4RF) - that was launched on 9th January 2023 at the UN Headquarters in Geneva. The 4RF provides a framework for guiding Pakistan's efforts towards resilient recovery.
The 4RF details the damage and recovery strategies for each of the most affected sectors in Pakistan. These are grouped under four Strategic Recovery Objectives (SROs):
Strategic Recovery Objectives 1: Enhance governance and the capacities of the state institutions to restore lives and livelihoods of the affected people, especially the most vulnerable
Strategic Recovery Objectives 2: Restore livelihoods and economic opportunities
Strategic Recovery Objectives 3: Ensure social inclusion and participation
Strategic Recovery Objectives 4: Restore and improve basic services and physical infrastructure in a resilient and sustainable manner
Education: what was the damage from the floods?
As our COP27 film - Climate Carnage in Pakistan (above) - showed, and as we have written in previous blogs, the impact of the 2022 floods to education in Pakistan was severe. According to the 4RF, 2.6 million students in the country have been affected by the floods. Over 17,000 public education institutions were damaged or destroyed and the total costs of loss and damage to education is estimated to be $780 million. Research by the World Bank suggests that as many as 1 million children may drop out and not return to school as a result of the flood damage to education.
What does the 4RF say about Pakistan’s education recovery?
In the 4RF education falls under Strategic Objective 4 which specifically aims to “Restore and improve basic services and physical infrastructure in a resilient and sustainable manner”. The recovery of education is divided into short term, medium term and long-term actions.
4RF: education recovery in the short term
Short term actions for education include prioritising the safety and resilience of educational institutes, foundational learning, involving the community in the learning process, and improving non-formal education facilities for children that cannot regularly attend school. Specific short term goals include:
Updating the Safe School Framework
Improving foundational learning and learning continuity for all students
Assessing student learning levels
Immediate reconstruction of schools and facilities
Coordinating with parents and community members about children’s learning progress
Providing non-formal alternatives for out-of-school-children and dropouts with help from the private sector and NGOs
4RF: education recovery in the medium term
Medium term actions for education include priority areas that build on the immediate responses listed above. They also include further measures such as disaster management education, improvement of classrooms with the introduction of technology, teacher development, technical support for inclusive education for all children. Specific medium term goals include:
Operationalize the School Safety Framework and include Disaster Risk Management education
Improve education quality by making classrooms more modern and introducing technology
Work with the private sector to train teachers in remedial learning and teaching at the right level
Support schools in developing their school disaster plans
Assist provinces in the development of strategic education sector plans
Provide learning opportunities to all children: OOSC, kids with special needs, and young learners.
4RF: education recovery in the long term
Long term actions for education include:
Ensuring no school is built unless it complies with the Flood Plain Act
Integrate teacher education and development on remedial learning and teaching at the right level for all teachers, with relevant orientation for school heads and district officials.
Collaborate with the private sector and NGOs as needed
Support head teachers technically and financially in achieving remedial learning outcomes and developing school disaster response plans.
Ensure dedicated technical support to provinces for multi-year, strategic education sector planning, focusing on access and learning environments, teaching, and learning and policy priorities to continue quality and inclusive learning at all levels
Provide technical support for inclusive education, incorporating early childhood education, non-formal education, special education, and technical and vocational education