There is no transport for evening students except the NIPA shuttle, which is almost impossible to catch.
KARACHI: The University of Karachi is one of the best universities in South Asia. Due to the increasing number of people seeking enrollment here, evening programmes were introduced. However, decision-makers have neglected the facilitation of the students enrolled in the evening classes. They pay 90 per cent more fees compared with the fees paid by students enrolled in the morning classes, but are not facilitated as much.
The biggest issue facing them, as of now, is the transport system in the university — or rather, the lack of it. There is no transport for evening students except the NIPA shuttle, which is almost impossible to catch because its timings are not fixed. Despite there being a schedule, it is the shuttle operators’ whim that governs the vehicles’ movement. Students end up going home on rickshaws, which charge exorbitant fares late in the night. The other big issue is the lack of street lights at night, which perpetuates all sorts of street crimes. Moreover, apart from the transport problem, there are no extra-curricular activities for evening students. Those in the evening sessions are deprived of a holistic university experience.
The university should start an internal transport system as departments are very far from the main gate and the lighting system inside the university’s premises must be improved.
Shaema Saher
Published in The Express Tribune, March 27th, 2014.
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