Pakistan s Children Deserve More Than Promises- From Collapsing Classrooms to Preventable Disease

by Chrysoula Asteriadou

In Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner, two boys, Amir and Hassan, grow up beneath the skies of Kabul, chasing colourful kites. Above the city’s rooftops, the kites become symbols of childhood innocence, friendship, hope, and a future that seems to belong to them. Yet the adult world intrudes violently into their lives, revealing just how fragile childhood can be when historical and social forces destroy its sense of security.

Decades later, across the Afghan border in neighbouring Pakistan, a different generation of children faces dangers it cannot control. This is neither the same story nor the same set of circumstances. Nevertheless, behind these different realities lies a common question: who protects children when the institutions entrusted with their safety prove inadequate?

On October 21, 2026, the Peshawar High Court sought explanations from the provincial government and relevant officials over the collapse of a school building that had killed 34 children and a female teacher one week earlier. The development was reported on October 22, as families and legal representatives demanded a transparent investigation and compensation.

Just two days before the court’s intervention, on October 19, health authorities announced that a six-month-old boy in Karachi had contracted wild poliovirus. It was Pakistan’s seventh confirmed case since the beginning of 2026.

In one city, children lost their lives beneath the roof of a classroom. In another, an infant was exposed to a disease that modern medicine knows how to prevent through vaccination.

The causes are different, and so are the responsibilities involved. Yet the two stories converge on a fundamental issue: every child’s right to grow up in safety, health and dignity.

On the morning of October 15, the roof of the privately operated Al-Khair Education Centre in Peshawar collapsed during classes. At least 34 schoolchildren and one female teacher were killed, while dozens of students were injured.

Rescue teams spent hours searching for survivors beneath the rubble. Outside the building, parents desperately awaited news of their children. Most of the pupils who died were under 13 years old and came from low-income families.

A school — a place meant to provide knowledge and protection — became a scene of death within seconds.According to preliminary police assessments, the building had structural weaknesses, while the additional weight of construction above the classrooms may have contributed to the collapse. The school’s owner was arrested, and an investigation into the circumstances of the disaster was launched.

Relatives of the victims alleged that concerns about the building’s safety had been raised previously. These claims require thorough investigation without prejudging the criminal or administrative responsibility of any individual.

The intervention of the Peshawar High Court brought a wider institutional question into focus: who oversees the conditions under which educational facilities operate, and how effectively are safety regulations enforced?

Access to education is a fundamental right. But having a place in a classroom is not enough when the building itself may endanger students’ lives.For families with limited financial resources, affordable private schools may be among the few available educational options. That social necessity, however, cannot justify lower safety standards.

Protecting children requires systematic inspections, clearly defined responsibilities, transparent licensing procedures and immediate action whenever risks are identified. The real test for Pakistani authorities will not be limited to holding those responsible for the tragedy accountable, should wrongdoing be established. It will also be whether another such disaster can be prevented.

Almost simultaneously with the mourning in Peshawar, Karachi faced a different threat to childhood.

On October 19, the National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication confirmed a new case of wild poliovirus in a six-month-old boy from Jamali Colony in Karachi East.

It was the first case reported in the city since December 2024.

Poliomyelitis is a highly infectious viral disease that can cause permanent paralysis and, in some cases, death. Although there is no cure capable of reversing paralytic polio, vaccination can effectively prevent the disease.

Pakistan, together with Afghanistan, remains one of only two countries where wild poliovirus continues to be endemic.

Yet the picture is not entirely negative. Pakistan has made substantial progress over recent decades. From approximately 20,000 cases in the early 1990s, reported infections fell to 31 in 2025 and seven as of October 19, 2026.

This reduction reflects sustained efforts by health authorities, international organisations and thousands of frontline vaccination workers.

During the September 2026 campaign alone, more than 29.3 million children were vaccinated in high-risk areas. Nevertheless, the new Karachi case demonstrates that progress does not yet mean eradication. Controlling the virus requires not only adequate vaccine supplies but also community trust, effective public communication, continuous epidemiological surveillance and access to populations that remain difficult to reach.

The next vaccination campaign is scheduled for November 2–8 and will target nearly 24 million children across 97 districts. Its success will depend not merely on the total number of vaccinations administered, but on whether it reaches children who remain unprotected.

A collapsing school and a new polio case are not the same kind of crisis. The first raises questions about construction safety, oversight and possible negligence. The second concerns public health, vaccination coverage and the difficulties of eradicating a virus. What connects them is the vulnerability of children.

A child cannot assess the structural integrity of a school roof. An infant cannot independently secure access to an effective vaccination programme. Their protection depends on decisions made by adults, public services, professionals and institutions.

Social inequality can deepen that dependence. Low-income families often have fewer educational options and limited opportunities to relocate their children to safer facilities. Similarly, communities with inadequate healthcare services may face greater obstacles to routine vaccination. These circumstances should not lead to collective blame being placed on parents. Instead, they highlight the need for stronger public infrastructure and more effective social protection.

In international politics, security is often associated with borders, armed forces and strategic power. Yet human security also has an everyday dimension: the right to attend school without being endangered by an unsafe building and to grow up protected against diseases that can be prevented.

Child protection is not a secondary social expenditure. It is an investment in long-term stability, development and public trust in institutions.The two crises require different but equally substantive responses.In Peshawar, the priorities must be an independent investigation, accountability wherever responsibility is established, support for affected families and systematic inspections of educational facilities.

These inspections must lead to concrete decisions: repairs, structural reinforcement and the closure of buildings presenting serious risks until they are made safe.In the case of polio, protection requires continued vaccination, stronger primary healthcare, safeguards for health workers and cooperation with local communities.International collaboration remains essential, since the virus does not stop at national borders.

Pakistan faces real economic and regional challenges. These pressures, however, do not diminish the importance of protecting children; they make the effective use of available resources even more critical.

Accountability does not end with arrests, government announcements or temporary campaigns.It requires continuity, measurable results and public access to information.Families mourning in Peshawar need answers. Parents in Karachi and other vulnerable areas need reliable healthcare services. And children across the country need assurance that their safety does not depend on political circumstances or the urgency of the news cycle.

In Hosseini’s novel, the kites flying above Kabul remind us how closely childhood dreams are connected to freedom and hope.In the real Pakistan of October 2026, the challenge is not simply to allow children to dream.It is to create the conditions in which they can grow up and fulfil those dreams.

A country’s future is not protected only at its borders. It is protected inside classrooms, in hospitals and in every community where a child has the right to live safely.No kite can rise high without safe ground from which to take flight.

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About the Author: 

Chrysoula Asteriadou. Social Worker with deep knowledge in Intercultural Education and Mental Health. A Social Policy specialist with a degree from Panteion University and a background in Social Work, specializing in mental health, intercultural education, and counseling, she possesses extensive professional and volunteer experience providing psychosocial support to vulnerable populations, refugees, and migrants directly impacted by modern geopolitical crises. Her field engagement with humanitarian organizations allows her to actively implement crisis management and social inclusion strategies for communities displaced by international instability.

Pressenza IPA