Students suffer as colleges suspend bus service without notice

Islamabad :Hundreds of students, especially those living in far-off areas, were troubled on Thursday morning for not getting college buses due to the unannounced suspension of the transport service.

Practically, there was no class work in schools and colleges due to the absence of a large number of students.

The Federal Directorate of Education, which oversees schools and colleges, FDE administration, on the one hand, decided to keep the educational institutions open on the day of the political sit-in in the city but ironically did not allow the buses to operate.

Students, who use the college transport, had a tough time going to colleges as the colleges suspended bus services, causing acute torment suffering to hundreds of students. The students had to either return home or remain stranded at bus points in the city.

"My daughter couldn't go to college due to unavailability of college transport," said Ghulam Dastgir, a resident of Sector I-10/2.

A teacher at Margalla College F-7/4 confirmed that students were affected as the bus service was suspended without notice.

The mismanagement and chaos impacted hundreds of students who remained indecisive about whether to set out to colleges or stay home.

Among the worst affected students were the ones coming to the city for education from distant places such as Tramari, Bhara Kahu, Islamabad Highway colonies and Khana bridge and adjoining areas.

At the Khana bridge, scores of students were seen looking for their buses. Finding no bus, some of them rented taxis to go to their institutions.

A female student said she was waiting for the bus for more than an hour to go to her college.

"It is totally unacceptable to make people suffer like that," she said.

It is pertinent to know that the aim of the bus service is to provide the facility to the students especially for those who belong to the middle class family.

The city's most helpless students were from the lower middle-class families whose only means of travel is the college bus facility.

A teacher lamented over the chaotic discipline at the FDE. In this age of advanced media, why is it not possible for the FDE management to send out a clear-headed decision on such issues.

He was critical about the director (colleges) for 'lacking ability to run the office properly'.

"The capital is often gripped in political upheavals and due to arrival of dignitaries from the foreign countries and therefore, parents and students must not suffer every time there is some crisis or celebration in the town.

"In every sensible management, it is so easy to share a link where students and parents can read the latest updates about the closure of colleges. It is not rocket science. It is simple negligence on the part of FDE who is lacking management acumen very badly," he said.