LAHORE – Low attendance in the educational institutions was witnessed in the educational institutes of the city owing to intense cold prevailing in the city for the past few days, whereas winter holidays have already ended in the schools, colleges and universities.
Students and parents requested the concerned authorities to extend the holidays or alter the timings in order to save students from chilly weather. Students traveling on public transport and motorbikes are facing the intense weather, whereas foggy and misty conditions have added woes of the students. A private school teacher told Pakistan Today that more than 40 per cent students were absent on Monday due to chilly weather, adding that all these students were regular and these students had requested the teachers, not to teach further course as it was not possible for them to reach school on time. He said that school authorities were never ready to change the class timings.
A visiting faculty member of Punjab University said that he had to come to the University early in the morning but the other staff members come after 10 am. He said that the attendance of male students was significantly low whereas girls were still managing to show their presence in the class. A student named, Naeem said that coming on motorbike was extremely difficult for him whereas he fell sick in last winters and suffered with hypothermia. Transport with heating system should be provided by the universities otherwise the varsity should remain closed for the whole winter. A fifth grade student of a private school, Hamza said that there was no heating system available in his school, therefore his parents were reluctant to send him to the school. He said that the coming on motorbike is extremely hard for young children and not everyone could afford cars. A mother of three and a resident of Model Town, Mrs Saqib was also concerned for the health of her children, she said that as she lived in an open area, her children have become vulnerable to the winter infections and the doctors were already charging heavy fee. Students and Parents also criticised the timings of winter holidays in the schools and universities and said that Punjab University gave winter holidays in the mid December and the schools remained closed in the last week of December but the real cold season started in January.
