When did schools become places where children die? In a country where all institutions seem to be freefalling into disorder and ineptitude is the name of the game, the day is not far when there may be a complete breakdown. The state and some privately owned educational institutions have become examples of bad governance, bad policies, and above all bad attitude. Government-run schools are in a bad condition — that is an unfortunate but accepted reality of Pakistan. In recent years, the establishment of private educational institutions has become a lucrative business. While schools in affluent areas torture people in a different way (exorbitant fees and tremendous stress of studies), the ones for the less fortunate are run in more shoddy ways than one can imagine. Old, rundown, small houses are rented or bought and turned into structures called private schools. Little consideration is paid to the condition of these places, and repair or complete overhauling are given little or no attention at all. Just because children who attend these schools do not belong to the well off class, their safety and well-being are considered unimportant. Lack of staff, overcrowded classrooms, lack of extracurricular activities, absence of playgrounds, strict punishments, scant attention to quality of education being provided — these are some of the issues already plaguing the educational system for the majority of the population. Now, to top it all, children are not even physically safe in some of these places. According to reports, nine children died in Narowal, Punjab, when the roof of a privately owned school collapsed. Nine young children, who were away from their homes, in a place where they came to better their lives. How did they die? One report said that the tragic incident occurred because of an under construction building nearby, whose contractor had stored construction material on the roof the school, which collapsed. The contractor has since been arrested. That is cause for some satisfaction, but equal if not greater responsibility must be borne by the school administration, charged with looking after the children. Schools without proper safety guidelines are aplenty. Since there is no apparent government policy in place, the school owners and administration are oblivious to the wear and tear of buildings, thus endangering the lives of students and staff. Without fear of governmental inspection, and consequently, of no penalty for not ensuring the safety of places where children gather to learn, such schools blithely continue to function and people suffer. When a roof collapses, in a room full of children, it is a clear indication that despite being in need of care and repair, it has been allowed to become further dilapidated to save a few thousand rupees. The question is, at what cost? Nine children and their families? The agony of the parents and families of the dead children can only be imagined. It is time the government reinstituted the moribund system of school inspections to ensure such incidents are not repeated. *