GWADAR: Gwadar has reopened 41 previously closed schools, enrolling 1,157 students under Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti’s province-wide initiative to restore non-functional schools in Balochistan.
Before the campaign began, 63 schools in the Gwadar district were identified as non-functional. Of these, 41 have now been made operational, while the chief minister has pledged to reopen the remaining 22 within the next 12 months.
According to Gwadar Pro, the reopening drive has been supported through multiple channels. Nineteen of the revived schools were staffed through the SBK Teachers (Phase I) recruitment scheme, two hired teachers on contract, and three received teachers under Phase III. The Pakistan Army helped reopen three schools, while 17 were restored through initiatives led by the district’s deputy commissioner.
As per the Balochistan Education Statistics 2023–24 report, Gwadar district currently has 312 educational institutions — including primary, middle, high, and higher secondary schools — with a total enrolment of 35,260 students.
At the provincial level, 3,862 schools were previously non-functional across Balochistan’s 36 districts. In the past 18 months, 3,144 of these have been reopened, bringing 81,834 new students into classrooms. During the same period, 16,000 teachers were appointed through a merit-based system, according to Chief Minister Bugti.
Officials describe the initiative as a cornerstone of the government’s broader education reform strategy, aimed at strengthening school infrastructure and ensuring access to quality education in underserved communities.
Education experts say revitalising schools in Gwadar and across Balochistan will help lay a stronger foundation for higher learning and technical training.
Institutions such as the University of Gwadar and the Pak–China Technical and Vocational Institute are already playing a role in preparing Balochistan’s youth for emerging economic opportunities linked to the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
