How to Report an Unsafe School Building in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh

Short answer: If a school building is about to fall, call Rescue 1122 on 1122 now. If the danger is not immediate, lodge a complaint on the Pakistan Citizen's Portal app with a photo and the exact address. Then write to the school and the education office. Keep every reference number.

Many parents see a cracked beam or a sagging roof and do not know where to send the complaint. After the Peshawar school roof collapse of 15 October 2026, that question matters more. This guide shows the channels we could confirm on official pages, for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh, and it says plainly where we could not confirm one. Our report on the Peshawar collapse has the news.

We opened the Pakistan Citizen's Portal site, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police site, the Punjab Emergency Services Department site and the Sindh Education Department site on 17 October 2026. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Elementary and Secondary Education Department site did not open for us, and the Punjab School Education Department site refused our request. We list no phone number for those two offices because we could not read one.

Call 1122 first when a roof, wall or beam looks ready to fall

Call 1122 if people are inside a building that is cracking, sagging or falling. Rescue 1122 handles building collapse. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police website lists Rescue Service 1122 under emergency helplines. Give the exact place first, then say if anyone is trapped.

Stay out of the building and move children away. Police emergency is 15 on the same Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police list. In Punjab, the Emergency Services Department site gives 1122 for emergencies and 1192 for complaints and feedback. Do not use 1122 to complain about an old problem. In Sindh, the Sindh Integrated Emergency and Health Services runs 1122 for ambulances, so say clearly that a building is unsafe.

Use the Pakistan Citizen's Portal when the danger is not immediate

The Pakistan Citizen's Portal is the federal complaint app, and it takes complaints about government bodies. Its site says you install the app, register with your CNIC and mobile number, confirm the SMS and send the complaint. It is free to use.

For a government school, file against the education department of your province. For a private school, the portal may not be the right place, because the school is not a government body. In that case write to the district education office and keep the portal for the office that fails to act. Our Citizen's Portal guide explains how to choose the category, and a closed complaint can be reopened.

1. Take two photos: one wide shot of the building and one close shot of the crack or damage.
2. Write the school name, the road, the area and the district.
3. Say what you saw and on which date, in two or three short lines.
4. Ask for one thing: an inspection of the building by a qualified engineer.
5. Send it, and save the complaint number.

Write to the school and the district education office as well

Put your concern in writing to the head teacher or principal, and send a copy to the district education office for your school. A written note proves you warned them and gives the office a date. Keep a copy, and ask them to sign or stamp it.

The Sindh Education Department site has a Contact Us page for the department. We could not read office numbers for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab education departments, so check your school's notice board or the department's own site for the district office. Do not trust a number forwarded on social media. Pakistan has many lookalike pages.

Escalate to the provincial ombudsman if nobody acts

If the education office ignores a written complaint, you can go to the provincial ombudsman. Each province has one. The ombudsman looks at delay and neglect in government offices. It is a slower route, so use it after the first channels.

We have guides for each: the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ombudsman, the Punjab Ombudsman and the Sindh Ombudsman. Bring your photos, your dated letter and the portal complaint number. A building survey of the school can be the outcome you ask for.

Know what each office can and cannot do

Rescue 1122 responds to an emergency. The education department decides on repairs and closure of its own schools. The portal passes your complaint to the right office. None of these will certify a building from your photo alone, so ask for an inspection.

For Punjab, the Emergency Services Department site lists a Building Safety function, but the page we read gave no detail, so we cannot say what it covers for schools. Our guide on the Punjab building safety certificate explains the rule for tall buildings. Do not enter a damaged building to take a photo. Shoot from outside.

Common questions

What number do I call if a school roof is falling?

Call 1122 for Rescue 1122. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police website lists it under emergency helplines, and the Punjab Emergency Services site names 1122 as its emergency number.

Can I report a private school on the Citizen's Portal?

The portal is for government bodies. For a private school, write to the school and the district education office, then complain on the portal if the office does not act.

Do I need to give my name?

The portal asks you to register with your CNIC and mobile number. For an emergency call to 1122, give your location first. Your name is not the first thing the operator needs.

Is there a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa education department complaint number?

We could not open the department's website on 17 October 2026, so we cannot give a number. Check the department's own site or your district education office.

What if the school ignores my complaint?

Send it to the district education office, then to the portal, then to the provincial ombudsman. Keep photos and dated copies at every step.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

We read these pages on 17 October 2026: the Pakistan Citizen's Portal, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police website, the Punjab Emergency Services Department and the Sindh Education Department. For what 1122 covers in each province, see our guides to Punjab and Sindh. Check numbers on the official site before you rely on them.