UNJUSTIFIED DELAY: The Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) issued a notification on Nov 11, announcing a delay in the commencement of the Combined Competitive Examination (CCE), Gilgit-Baltistan due to bad weather. I wonder why the commission forgot to consider weather conditions in its initial announcement. Is it even a valid excuse? The students who have been burning the midnight oil for the last couple of months will now have to suffer due to the irresponsible conduct of the FPSC.

Rehan Khan
Islamabad

ORPHAN CITY: Travelling on the roads of Karachi is no less than a nightmare. It is disheartening to see that the city of the Quaid, which contributes the most to the national exchequer, has been neglected by those in power. I have been to Lahore recently and was shocked to see the wonderful infrastructure there. Why the provincial and federal governments cannot do at least as much work in Karachi as has been done in Lahore?

Kalb-e-Jaffar Naqvi
Karachi

SERIOUS PROBLEM: Cheating in exams is a very common practice. The worst thing is that we do not consider it unethical anymore. Neither the government nor the civil society has taken this problem seriously. Students consider it their right, and the one who tries to stop them sometimes faces threats. This is high time we came up with a solution to this menace.

Hashim Khan
Paderborn, Germany

EDUCATION IN SINDH: Relevant statistics paint a rather bleak picture of the state of education affairs in Sindh as 44 per cent children are out of school, 80pc schools lack basic facilities, almost 47pc students have only one teacher, and a classroom has an average of 41 students. The education budget has increased to Rs262 billion, but factors like poverty-led drop-outs, lack of qualified teachers, outdated syllabus and old-school teaching mechanisms are still hindering progress. There is a need for corrective steps.

Ali Gul
Johi

Published in Dawn, December 6th, 2021