Lahore:
Extreme hot weather has disrupted academic activities, especially for children in small private schools due to bad facilities in classrooms.
The situation is alarming in schools operating in small buildings in cities, including Lahore, which even lacks adequate installations of fans and water. Students from distant districts also suffer during the closing and midday hours of schools when the temperature increases.
The Punjab government is expected to consider closing the province’s educational establishments due to the weather and a meeting for this purpose is expected later this week.
The growing temperature during last week made it difficult for young children to study in congestioned classrooms.
The worst situation is confronted in small schools built in violation of rules which do not have the installations necessary to continue academic activities.
Most of these schools are installed in about five Marla buildings that lack lighting, fans, water and appropriate ventilation. Parents were forced to admit their children from such schools because of affordability.
At a time when the summer season is at its peak and an alert of heat waves was issued, students suffer due to the lack of adequate arrangements of school administrations to deal with problems.
The competent authorities had issued the Heat wave alert, warning that the temperature would increase in the province in the coming days and advised the district administrations to remain alert and make arrangements to deal with the situation.
The Department of Education of Punjab schools had been informed that there was a risk of heat wave from May 15 to 19 and advised it to make precautionary arrangements, warning that the temperature could increase from four to seven degrees Celsius.
Advice had also been issued to set up heat waves meters in hospitals, while cases of heart stroke are already reported.
However, the Department of School Education does not seem to have succeeded in persuading the institutions to make the arrangements and is only found with the possibility of closing schools.
When a similar situation occurred last year, the Ministry of Education closed schools the last week of May and started online courses.
According to the academic calendar, the summer holidays in schools are scheduled from June 1 to August 9.
