Grief continues to grip Pakistan after the roof of a neighbourhood tuition centre in Lahore's Kahna area collapsed, killing 14 children. Bereaved families say the tragedy was caused by chronic poverty, unsafe infrastructure and years of administrative neglect rather than the actions of any one individual.
The collapse has once again highlighted the poor state of civic infrastructure in the area. Several injured children and their teacher remain hospitalised following the June 30 incident.
Among the victims was five-year-old Arkam, son of daily wage labourer Hassan. Despite losing his child, Hassan said he had forgiven the injured teacher, Anila, who also sustained injuries along with her daughter. "We have forgiven the teacher for the death of our son," Hassan said.
Male members of the teacher's family had been detained by Lahore police, while the women had reportedly left the area. Residents described the locality as one filled with unfinished, structurally weak houses built gradually as families save money over the years. They blamed the absence of building oversight and civic planning for the unsafe conditions.
"Most people here are very poor and build their homes slowly whenever they get some money to afford it," a resident said. Locals also said Katchwana Road, originally planned as a 50-foot-wide link to Ferozepur Road, has been narrowed by unchecked encroachments. Many houses have been built over sewage drains, increasing the risk of future disasters.
"This might not be the last tragedy in this area," another resident warned. Recalling his son, Hassan said Arkam had hoped to become a police officer. The child had been attending the neighbourhood tuition centre before starting formal schooling.
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Hassan also alleged that warning signs had been ignored. He said a child had previously been injured by a falling tile and that both the mason working on the building and some children had urged the teacher to suspend classes. "She did not listen to them, and we lost our children," he said, adding that the financially struggling family had been carrying out construction with only one labourer.
Following public outrage, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz visited the locality to offer condolences. Authorities detained the property owner and the contractor who constructed the building, DIG Operations Faisal Kamran confirmed.
Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat subsequently announced a crackdown on unregistered academies and tuition centres. However, the move has drawn criticism from education stakeholders, who argue that such neighbourhood centres exist because Pakistan's public education system fails to meet the needs of low-income families.
All Pakistan Private School Management Association president Kashif Adeeb Jawadani said home-based academies, many run by women, have become the only affordable option for poor families. "Due to the socio-economic circumstances of both the teachers and the parents, such tuition centres and academies are the only option for the poor," he said.
Jawadani argued that instead of threatening closures and legal action, the government should have offered free registration, a grace period and financial assistance. He also questioned what alternative the state would provide if these low-cost educational institutions were shut down.
The Kahna disaster has once again underscored the deadly consequences of unsafe construction, weak regulation and an inadequate public education system, with Pakistan's poorest communities continuing to bear the highest cost of institutional neglect.
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