Articles and letters may be edited for the purposes of clarity and space. They are published in good faith with a view to enlightening all the stakeholders. However, the contents of these writings may not necessarily match the views of the newspaper.
Blatant abuse of power
It is the constitutional responsibility of the State to regulate and ensure, without any fear or favour, that quality education and health services are offered to all citizens at an affordable cost. When the State fails to perform its constitutional regulatory functions, institutions collapse and the nation suffers.
Foundations of a modern state are built on rule of laws, importance of education and constitution and not whims of individuals. This is what Quaid-e-Azam stressed upon in his 11 August 1947 address to First Constituent Assembly.
Rules and regulations need to be enforced through the writ of state. People pay taxes to the state to put in place regulatory institutions like the Higher Education Department to ensure that laws are followed in letter and spirit. Vice Chancellors are appointed on merit with a syndicate and a Chancellor who in our country also happens to be the Governor of the province where the education institution is located.
Unfortunately, when the Chancellor, who is supposed to be the guardian with responsibility to ensure that all private and government universities adhere to laws, becomes the instrument of violating that trust, then education suffers and so does the state. The media has reported that the Chancellor in Punjab has given approval in principle to an illegal sub-campus of a Lahore-based private university in Pakpattan.
This is despite HED having declared 23 sub-campuses of 6 private universities as illegal on January 10, 2020. Education should never be allowed to become a business venture, nor should cartels be allowed to emerge which exert pressures to mould and bend laws, compromise educational standards to achieve commercial targets.
MALIK TARIQ ALI
Lahore
Summer vacation
The Sindh government has announced that the period from April till the schools reopen will be considered summer vacation. Considering this, having online classes at private schools is incomprehensible, especially when courses are complete, students will be promoted on the basis of previous performance and the academic year has ended.
This is obviously to squeeze money out of the pockets of parents who already face financial crisis owing to lockdowns. However, things for university students are and should be different. Schoolchildren can be promoted on the basis of their previous performance. But university students are involved in higher studies and need consistency. They cannot afford a long, indefinite break in their studies.
Therefore, online classes are the only solution which is being practised the world over. On-campus classes are ideal for higher studies but when we cannot afford to have these and we don’t know when they will resume, we have no option except online classes.
The main argument the opponents of online classes at universities give is ‘lack of Internet Service, poor signals and additional cost of Internet’. If these opponents really face Internet and signal issues, how are they able to send their letters to newspaper offices using email?
Opponents of online classes claim students living in far-flung areas suffer the most because of lack of Internet. This is strange because I have seen people living in even small villages near the border, not only enjoying the Internet facility, but making vlogs for YouTube. And almost the entire young population of these villages is involved in making and uploading videos to their YouTube channels.
AHTESHAN UL HAQ
Karachi
Regrets,
after gone
A viral video of an artist aptly suited the present scenario. In the video, excerpted from an interview, he claimed that in this country in order to be famous and respected you need to die and Ali Sadpara (Late) proved it. Who knew him before he succumbed to the freezing temperature, who was aware of his lifelong desires and struggles, who appreciated him let alone the assistance and who took the pride in him being a Pakistani? I’m certain No one. Well, this is not truly unusual in Pakistan.
We praise and admire those who are first acknowledged by a western nation, for us an accolade from the developed nations is the sole certificate of one’s intelligence and capabilities, we are averse to creating training and assistance ground for all those who dare to challenge the barriers, who take the risks, be their own support systems and who aspires to make their country and nation proud.
Our talk shows and morning shows cash in the overnight sensation which, unfortunately, fades and serve no purpose, while the hard-earned success rarely gets the limelight. We associate ourselves with the demised, while the living yearns for our attention. This has to change. We need to appreciate, sponsor and recognize our hiding gems before it’s too late.
SOBIA WASEEM
Karachi
Pakistani dramas
Pakistani dramas are famous almost throughout the world. About 15% of the world’s population watch Pakistani dramas because of its realistic stories and it gives us real life lessons. But some years ago, Pakistani directors have begun to show black magic and witchcraft in their dramas which is unfavourable for people.
Recent dramas like Nazr-e-Bad, Bandish and Mehboob ap kay Qadmon may, these dramas create bad impact in our society.
As we all know, doing black magic is big sin in Islam. But through these dramas, those people who are not aware about this wrong process, they become aware from these mistaken actions.
Whether the last episode of these dramas show positive at all, but the previous episodes make them aware of the wrong thing that they can use the wrong actions to achieve any goal and they can get power over anyone and make him do wrong.
The result of this is that it becomes the weakness of faith over Allah. We should avoid these plays in which two people go to the right strategy and two people go to erroneous ways. It is requested to the Pakistani directors that stop making these types of dramas in which people lose their religion.
MUHAMMAD ANAS RAZA
Karachi
