vacations of students are about to begin while pupils have made different plans to make the most out of them, Pakistan Today has learnt. Students have planned different activities including swimming, cooking, cycling, visit to tourist resorts, gym and gaming while others plan to join summer camps, cooking and painting classes. Students interested in sports are thinking about joining cricket, football and hockey camps. Some students said that as there is a lot of homework for them to do, they would prefer rejoicing themselves through the Internet and video games rather than joining any club. Students, conscious about their skin complexion, said that indoor activities, including watching movies, would be preferable for them.
Academies, sports clubs and tour operators also take these holidays as a golden chance to fleece students and their parents. Summer vacations courses cost thousands of rupees and prove an extra financial burden on parents, as they already pay three months summer vacations fee. Summer vacations are scheduled to kick-off from the first week of June in public-sector educational institutions, whereas, holidays in private-sector schools would start from mid-June. Mother of three sons, Mrs Hamza said that she has advised her sons to join a soccer club, which would not only provide a fantastic recreation option for them but would also be beneficial for their health.
She said that today’s children like indoor activities, including video games and social networking sites, which might be harmful for needs of their growing age. Fees of summer vacations camps ranges from Rs 5,000 to 10,000 whereas, cost of recreational trips might reach tens of thousands of rupees. Parents invest much money in schooling but these academies teach practical skills, which might be worth their price. A LACAS student Haleema Mirza told Pakistan Today that she learned various skills in the last summer vacations, including flower making and painting. She said that a two-month course at House Wife helped her improve her proficiencies in different fields. Haleema said that each girl should know about skills, including cooking and painting.
Students, who just have gone through their Intermediate and Matriculation exams, would not be able to make the most of out the holidays, as most inter students have started to prepare for entry tests while Matriculation students have joined pre-FSc classes. Student Abdullah Butt plans to join the Model Town Football Academy. He said that he has always admired footballers Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo and wants to be like them. Students complained about the government’s apathy towards providing enough facilities in summers saying that the government did not promote healthy activities. Pupils said there was no state-of-the-art tennis court, gym or football club for students from middle class families.
A huge gap between activities of upper and lower class students also causes an inferiority complex among students. World class gyms, swimming pools, tennis courts and visits to recreational spots are only available for the elite class, whereas, limited options are available for middle class students in this era of high inflation. Students also enroll in spoken English classes to improve their English speaking proficiency and get admissions abroad.
Experts say that students must participate in healthier activities during summer vacations, as it is a best chance to boost their creative skills. Students must avoid bad sleeping habits, watching too much TV and Internet surfing, as there are various other options which could be utilised during this time span including joining sports clubs, gyms and fine arts academies. A school teacher said that summer holidays should be used as a substantial learning chance by students and parents had a huge role in this regard. He said that the government could also take various steps to give subsidised training during summer vacations by private-public partnership (PPP).
