Pakistan has ordered urgent safety inspections of private school buildings in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following the collapse of a roof at Al-Khair School in Peshawar that left 34 children and one teacher dead.
The tragedy occurred on October 15 during school hours, spurring rescue efforts, a police investigation, and a renewed look at school infrastructure. The Provincial government has asked education officials to check on the condition of buildings and to identify schools that could be a threat to students and staff.
Some relatives said they had voiced concerns about rainwater leaking into classrooms and the visible weakness of the structure. Authorities have also ordered inspections across private schools in the province with officials expected to submit findings and recommendations within three days.
Peshawar School Roof Collapse Leaves Families Grieving
The tragedy has left families grieving and questions about whether earlier warnings regarding the condition of the building were adequately addressed.
The tragedy affected families throughout the entire Dir Colony, where many of the children lived. Relatives spoke of losing several children from the same family while other parents rushed to the school when they heard classrooms had collapsed.
The collapse affected two classrooms of the school in Peshawar’s Dir Colony neighborhood. Officials said at least 40 children were pulled out alive and injured students were rushed to Lady Reading Hospital for treatment.
Emergency crews and local residents worked to clear debris and rescue children trapped beneath the rubble. Police arrested the school’s owner, Mohammad Khan, as investigators began looking into what caused the collapse.
Families are demanding justice and a complete inquiry into how the school building was allowed to keep operating. Officials have promised to investigate, but no clear responsibility has been assigned for the collapse.
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Families Say They Gave Warning About Structural Problems Before Collapse
Relatives of children killed in the Peshawar school collapse are demanding accountability, saying concerns about the building’s condition were raised before the disaster.
Mohammad Zaman, who lost two nephews, told the Associated Press he and other relatives had repeatedly complained to the school owner about water leaking into classrooms. He said the state of the building had fueled fears that a serious accident might happen.
These allegations are part of the developing story of the tragedy and have not, in themselves, defined the cause of the collapse.
School Owner Arrested as Police Investigate the Cause
On Thursday, the school’s owner, Mohammad Khan, was arrested. The chief of police in Peshawar, Saeed Ahmed, said the building was structurally weak. Police said the owner blamed recent rains for weakening one roof.
Investigators also are probing the circumstances leading to the collapse, including the condition of the building and whether construction or maintenance issues may have contributed.
Survivors also described how rapidly the event occurred. Teacher Mahwish Zaman, who was injured, said the roof came down before she could warn her students to get out. She woke up in hospital to be told that many of the children in her class had died.
Private School Building Inspections Ordered in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
The provincial government has directed the education department to constitute district committees for the inspection of buildings of private schools in all districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The order, first reported by the Associated Press, calls for officials to inspect both owned and rented premises and to report their findings and recommendations back within three days. Inspections are carried out to locate structural weaknesses and to determine which buildings require immediate attention.
The assessment includes roofs, ceilings, walls, columns, beams, foundations, and staircases. District authorities have been told to classify buildings as safe, needing repairs or improvements or potentially unsafe. The classifications are intended to help officials identify schools that may need remedial work or further technical assessment before they can safely accommodate students.
Government spokesperson Samar Haroon Bilour also asked parents to tell them about schools that they believe are operating from structurally weak buildings. The inspections are part of the government’s response to the disaster and efforts to cut the risk of similar incidents, it said. Separately, officials are investigating the collapse of the Al-Khair School, and the building has been cordoned for examination.
Investigation Continues Amid Heightened School Safety Concerns
The inspection order spotlights new attention on enforcement of building standards at schools. But the initiative’s success will hinge on the technical quality of the assessments; the identification of unsafe structures and whether necessary repairs or closures are carried out in a timely manner. The authorities' findings are expected to throw light on the scale of the problem across the province.
The Peshawar tragedy has sparked new fears about building safety and construction standards in Pakistan. Building collapses are common in the country, where enforcement of construction regulations can be laxed, and some structures are built with substandard materials, the Associated Press reported. The latest tragedy has increased the pressure on more rigorous inspections and greater accountability for the condition of the building's children's use.
It also comes in the wake of another deadly school-related collapse in Lahore in early 2026. The Associated Press reported that 14 children died when a roof collapsed at a tutoring center in the eastern city. The repeated incidents have raised questions about the safety arrangements at schools and whether owners and authorities are doing enough to identify structural risks before they turn fatal.
Provincial officials promised a detailed investigation after the Peshawar collapsed. Governor Faisal Karim Kundi demanded accountability while national leaders including President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief and demanded a detailed probe into the incident. The provincial government also ordered medical treatment for injured children.
The investigation is to ascertain the cause of the roof failure, whether the building was in compliance with applicable safety standards and whether any prior warnings were ignored. The provincial inspections could help provide a broader picture of the state of private school facilities, but the results and any enforcement are still pending.
The families involved are desperate for justice for the children and teachers who were murdered. The challenge for authorities is to find out who’s responsible and make sure schools are providing a safe place for students, not subjecting them to preventable structural hazards.
Read more in our World section for similar stories and expert analysis.
David Martinez
World Affairs Reporter
David Martinez is a world affairs journalist with expertise in international relations, conflict reporting, and global humanitarian issues. He has reported from conflict zones and has an eye for the political dynamics of international crises.
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