LAHORE, June 18: Loadshedding is taking its toll on every sector and educational institutions are no exception. For the last several days, classroom studies and teaching have been affected badly at the Punjab University, University of Engineering and Technology and other public sector universities.
Talking to Dawn on Monday, Punjab University students said that power supply was suspended since morning and no class could be held till 4pm. “Classrooms are dark, hot and humid, causing suffocation when there is no power supply,” Institute of Communication Studies student Saman Younas said.
In the wake of a cut in prices of POL products, ICS faculty member Shafiq Kamboh said institute’s staff drove across the city, but could not find petrol to keep institute’s generator working. A student said institute’s FM Radio was shut down because there was no back-up of generator.
PU Syndicate member Prof Dr Shaukat Ali said loadshedding mentally paralysed everybody. He said classroom teaching and studies had been affected badly. Hostel residents were most affected, as they were facing suspension of power supply for hours.
Prof Ali, who is chairman of the physics department, said department students approached him on Monday and asked for one holiday after every paper during the exam, which was scheduled from July 2. He said students were having sleepless nights and could not prepare for examinations.
Former PU Syndicate member Dr Mumtaz Anwar said loadshedding suspended several classes and semester courses had not been completed in many university departments. He said loadshedding had suspended lab work, as no equipment was working and classes having morethan 50 students could not be run smoothly without proper light and air-conditioning.
Dr Anwar said a PhD scholar’s presentation could not be held in zoology department because of loadshedding. He said the scholar had prepared his presentation on power point, but multimedia could not work. “As external examiners, who came from Islamabad, had to return, they only conducted viva voce,” he said.
It may be mentioned that the Islami Jamiat Tulaba staged a protest demonstration on Canal Road against unscheduled loadshedding on Sunday evening. They raised slogans against the government and the university administration and blocked the road for almost two hours.
UET Teaching Staff Association president Prof Dr Suhail Aftab Qureshi said loadshedding affected classroom teaching. He said hostel residents were most affected and they could not prepare for examinations.
Until recently, Prof Qureshi said, the UET was not much affected because its gas generation system was producing some three mega watts of electricity. However, he said, the gas pressure had been reduced and loadshedding was now taking its toll on study. “There is no electricity for at least 60 per cent of university working hours,” Prof Qureshi added.
Lahore College for Women University mass communication department head Dr Anjum Zia said study and teaching were being affected badly owing to loadshedding. Though the Punjab government in 2009-10 gave a separate transformer to the university and light usually did not go off from 8am to 2pm “still one or two fans in a crowded classroom cause sweating and suffocation and affect classroom study and teaching”.
Dr Zia said various teaching activities, including power point presentations, were badly affected. “Even laptops cannot be charged, which are available with many students in the university,” she said.
Government College University Academic Staff Association president Prof Dr Hassan A Shah said semester examinations were being held in the university and there was a strong backup of generators.