KARACHI, April 2: The academic activities at most educational institutions in the city were affected as attendance of students and staff remained critically low due to thin traffic on roads in the morning hours on Saturday.

Following a strike call by the MMA, public transport, including buses, wagons and coaches, and contract vans plying for school and college students were off roads.

The public sector universities too did not ply their buses in

adequate numbers during the day.

Attendance of students remained very thin at public sector universities and that was why a very nominal number of classes could be held. The attendance of staff was also not up to the mark in the universities, said sources on the campus. However, examinations were held as per schedule at the University of Karachi, they added.

A senior teacher of a federal government-run institution said there were three main reasons for the negligible attendance, i.e. the strike call, Pakistan-India one-day cricket match, and a combination of the strike day with the weekly holiday (Sunday).

The educational offices and educational boards also witnessed a decrease in attendance.

A spokesman for the University of Karachi said that the MA final (supplementary) external and MA final (regular) exams were held as per schedule on Saturday.

GOVT’S CLAIM: A report sent to the Sindh government by the Provincial Education and Literacy Department has said the attendance of teachers and students on Saturday was satisfactory, adds PPI.