Transport troubles

What seem like petty matters can sometimes have huge repercussions. This is true in the case of transport to educational institutions for students living in the far-flung areas of Karachi. The transport issues have become so huge that hundreds of students from Malir, Ibrahim Hyderi, Gadap Kathore and other locations on the outskirts of Karachi recently gathered at the offices of the Gadap Social Development Organisation, a community-based body to highlight their problems. The students say it takes them up to four hours to reach classes at Karachi University. This issue of conveyance to institutes of higher learning is a major hindrance to many from pursuing studies beyond the intermediate level. We have few figures on how many are affected; apparently, the numbers run high.

Girls, who have particular difficulties with transport in the country, face a still harder time. All students, then, could be facilitated by setting up a dedicated service to convey students from areas across Karachi to their places of learning. Such school and college buses run along specified routes in many parts of the world. We all know that education is an urgent need in our country. It seems to be a real pity that it is being held back by a matter that can quite easily be resolved. The problem seems to be the lack of official concern for what seem to be mundane matters. While we are good at setting up giant metro projects or other grandiose schemes, the simpler problems of people remain unresolved. This lack of transport is keeping students from pursuing their studies and handicapping them in reaching classes. We must recognise that, across our educational spectrum, transport holds back learning. We must pay greater attention to resolving this issue and finding a way to get all students, and indeed schoolchildren, to their schools, colleges and universities more efficiently and at lower costs so that opportunity and the dream of a higher quality of life is not snatched away from them simply as a result of negligence.