Bin Laden’s death : Schools, students unaffected

Morning classes, exams held according to schedule.

KARACHI:

Classes were held as scheduled during the morning session at private schools across Karachi but the evening classes were cancelled at Catholic board schools due to security concerns arising both from the expected street reaction to Osama bin Laden’s death and the killing of a political activist.

Schools that cancelled their evening shift included St Patrick’s High School. Even though the news of bin Laden broke a little after 7am, morning classes were normally held at all the campuses of Beacon House, The City School, St Joseph’s School, PECHS School, Gulistan High School, Bay View High among others.

Most government schools in the city are already closed as the Secondary Board exams are going on, while many others are serving as examination centres. The Board of Secondary Education, Karachi held the class IX biology exams scheduled in the morning.

For students, who appear to be too young to be concerned with any political issues, the news of the al Qaeda chief’s killing had little or no significance.

“I am neither happy nor sad for Osama bin Laden. He was in no way liked in Pakistan and I don’t think he was fighting for Islam. He was fighting for his own motives, and maybe just against America,” said Atif, a dentistry student at Baqai University.

Samina, a student at Tabani’s School of Accountancy, said that her college was open for evening classes as well. However, the tension following the killing of a senior Muttahida Qaumi Movement activist caused chaos in the evening, forcing students to leave for home, she added.

Nida Chaudhry from NED University revealed that they are having their exams, which is why there was full attendance. She added that by the time students arrived at the university, they had no knowledge of the news of Osama Bin Laden’s killed. Unlike other students, she had a strong opinion that Bin Laden’s killing had been “staged”.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 3^rd, 2011.