HIGHER EDUCATION: While there is a lot of discussion going on about the effectiveness or otherwise of the Single National Curriculum (SNC) initiative and the essence of primary education, there is little attention paid on reforms in the domain of higher education.

Out of 192 universities in the country, only 93 have been able to successfully complete doctoral programmes. The percentage of PhD-producing universities has dropped from 29 per cent in 1998 to 16pc in 2018. This crucial area of education should not be disregarded.

Amreen Umar
Turbat

BASIC FACILITIES: The Keamari district in Karachi, with a population of over 1.8 million, has no university and the students, particularly girls, are compelled to leave their studies for this very reason. This is despite the fact that there are vacant plots of land in the district where a university can be established. Moreover, there is no proper healthcare facility in the district. People have to take their patients to other districts even for emergency treatment. The government would do well to address these issues.

Sarfraz Haroon
Karachi

STREET SCUFFLES: The illegal and unauthorised parking in front of restaurants, fast food outlets and gyms in Clifton’s Block 2 area is causing immense hardships to commuters. Street fights are often seen involving frustrated commuters and those having parked their cars illegally. The authorities need to resolve the issue once and for all.

Aijaz Ali Dahar
Karachi

WATER SUPPLY: The residents of Defence Housing Authority (DHA) have to pay exorbitant charges to sustain their water supply through tankers even though we keep hearing that water reservoirs are at their optimal capacity. Besides, the gas supply is at best erratic in the area, which is supposedly a posh neighbourhood of the city. One wonders what one has to do to keep life going in such a ‘posh’ manner.

Mohammad Asif
Karachi

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2021