Sweltering heat

The higher authorities have decided to reopen education institutions for on-campus classes once teachers and other school employees get vaccinated. Even though the decision is good, the authorities must look at the numerous issues that students and teachers will face. At present, almost all cities are witnessing the hottest days of the pre-monsoon season. Also, unscheduled loadsheding has made the situation even more terrible. In this sweltering heat, power outages are intolerable. A few days ago, in Islamabad, at least 25 students fainted after being subjected to excessive heat (the sudden power outage had further aggravated the situation). In this extremely hot weather, the health of students and teachers is at risk. Throughout the country, education institutions used to announce summer vacations during the months of June and July. This is the first time that education institutions are open in these two months.

These schools haven’t adopted any preventive measures to create a comfortable learning environment for students. Heatstroke is as dangerous as Covid-19 and can cause serious health problems. The government should take tangible steps to overcome this problem. It should also extend the examination date. It is also equally important to equip all schools with the basic facilities like clean drinking water and uninterrupted electricity. A water dispenser should also be kept in schools’ parking area so that people who have come to pick up their children can have a glass of water.

Mujeeb Ali Samo

Larkana