Education Cluster in Pakistan Lessons Learned: Flood Response

The worst monsoon rains in Pakistan’s 80 year history resulted in the deaths of 1,985 people and affected an estimated 20.1 million others. The education sector was hit particularly hard with over 10,000 schools damaged or destroyed affecting up to 1.3 million children. The floods disrupted education in all Provinces, and according to the Multi-Cluster Rapid Humanitarian Needs Assessment (McRAM) the reason most cited for children not returning to school was because of damage. In response, the Education Cluster established a comprehensive coordination system to support national leadership of the response effort. UNICEF and Save the Children were the lead agencies for the Education Cluster at both National and Provincial Hub levels.