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Load shedding bringing students' grades down
Frequent power shutdowns bringing grades down
Lahore, June 28, 2008: The hours-long load shedding in the city is giving a tough time to students,
especially schoolchildren, during the ongoing examinations.
Students said
that massive load shedding in the last few months had adversely affected their
studies. They said that they could not study properly in the dim light and under
hot and humid weather, as it gave them a headache and had affected their
eyesight. Some students also said that their schools/colleges had power backup
systems, but the systems were not being used. They said that they had been
compelled to take classes and sit in examinations with no electricity in the
rooms.
Students enrolled in semester system courses, especially those
studying computers and other sciences, said that they had an extra burden of
studies owing to the semester system. They said that they had to make
presentations and submit term reports and assignments, which was impossible with
no electricity in town. Teachers also said that they had problems giving
lectures during load shedding.
The students of intermediate, preparing
for their practicals, and others for the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) and
Central Superior Services (CSS) examinations have also denounced the Water and
Power Development Authority (WAPDA) and the government for not complying with
the students' demand of uninterrupted supply of electricity.
A number of
institutions in the city did not give summer holidays to their students, as they
had switched to the semester systems and were conducting examinations.
Institutes like the Lahore College for Women University (LCWU), Government
College University (GCU), Forman Christian College University (FCCU), and the
Punjab University (PU) are still open and holding exams. Moreover, the students
of Kinnaird College, Beaconhouse National University and FAST National
University of Computer and Emerging Sciences are still due at the institutes for
their assignments and research works.
Zara, a student of BS (Honours) at
the LCWU, said that semester examinations were ongoing at different departments
of the university, and usually there was no electricity during the examination.
"It becomes difficult to sit in the examination rooms due to the heat and poor
light, but we cannot do anything about it," she said, adding that there were no
power generators at the university to facilitate the student. She said that
students were also having trouble preparing for the exams, as they could not
frame a proper timetable for studies owing to unplanned and massive load
shedding.
Water shortage: Jawaria Ahmed, a PU Hostels boarder, said that
students had no choice but prepare for their exams in candlelight during
load-shedding hours. "The situation gets worse when the hostels run out of
water, as we are not allowed to go out in the nighttime," she said.
Adeel
Anjum, a Ravian studying computer sciences, said that students in his department
did most of their work on computers, but the administration of the GCU had
issued orders to close the computer labs at the time of load shedding. "We have
to prepare our assignments and need the Internet for that, but now the computer
labs are often closed due to the load shedding and we have to suffer," he said,
adding that late submission of assignments was also affecting their
grades.
Tayyab Bhatti, preparing for his CSS exams, said that students
taking the exams usually went to libraries for preparations, but now it had
become difficult for them to focus on their studies due to frequent power
failure as they could not sit in libraries for long hours without electricity
and cooling system.
Facilitating students: BNU Communication Adviser Arfa
Sarfraz said, "Although we have closed the university for summer holidays,
students who have not submitted their research work are still coming," she said,
adding that every second student had the excuse that he/she could not complete
the research work due to load shedding. "I personally believe that students are
suffering the most due to the energy crises."
Khansa Nazim, an LCWU
faculty member, said, "The administration knows that students are disturbed due
to load shedding. We have kept this thing in mind before setting up question
papers," she said. She said that teachers had also been suffering for the last
many months because they usually used projectors to deliver lectures, which they
could not do properly at the time of load shedding.
Another teacher at
the university said that the authorities there too had directed the computers
and science departments to shut down computer labs and laboratories during load
shedding out of fear of getting equipment damaged.
Expectations not high:
Asim Khan, a GCU student, said that power failure had always been a problem for
students, and that thousands of students in the city had taken their
matriculation, intermediate, and bachelor examinations during load-shedding
hours. He said that students could not prepare for their exams properly, due to
which they were not expecting good results.
He said that the graph of
quality education might fall due to energy crises. "Neither the students, nor
the teachers are satisfied with their progress," he said.
An official of
the Lahore College of Arts and Sciences (LACAS) said that students there had
suffered a lot during examination days due to frequent power shutdowns. He said
that parents were concerned about the progress of their children. "They have
complained that students are unable to concentrate on their studies due to hot
and humid weather conditions," he said. He said that the school administration
was trying to remove the parents' concern by installing UPS systems and
generators at various branches of LACAS. Daily Times
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