Punjab schools on heatwave alert

LAHORE:

The Punjab health services director general has issued an alert for educational institutions in the province in view of a heatwave that is expected to continue in the coming week, advising the administrators to take steps to protect students from harmful effects of the harsh weather.

A notification issued by the department advised the administrators of the educational institutions to remain ready to contact an emergency helpline if the need arises.

All physical activities in schools have been suspended and the students must be advised to drink sufficient water to avoid dehydration and to wash hands frequently.

The extremely hot weather has disturbed academic activities in Punjab's schools, prompting the parents and teachers to demand summer vacations ahead of the schedule.

The worst situation was reported from the remote areas where many government schools lack proper infrastructure, including classrooms. Power load-shedding added to the woes of the students and teachers.

A number of private schools have also reportedly advised parents to take care of precautionary measures to protect the children from the heatwave.

The young children are particularly vulnerable to the extreme hot weather during the school hours that continue till the afternoon.

A teachers’ union suggested that the government should consider immediately announcing a new schedule of summer vacations or provide air conditioners at the schools, warning that otherwise the conditions might become unbearable for the students.

There was no respite for the children from the rising temperature on the third day of schools after the Eid holidays.

A schoolteacher said the ongoing heatwave in the province was worse than the expectations for the season. He said it would be cruel to continue the classes amid conditions where the children could hardly focus on their education.

Along with the teachers, the parents are also exposed to the high temperatures while picking the children after the school hours.

The Punjab government had announced the schedule of summer vacations for the province last month, according to which the schools are scheduled to remain closed from June 1 to July 31.

After the Eid holidays, exams of students of grade one to eight have begun.

However, the exams have reportedly been cancelled in several cities due to the extraordinary increase in temperature.

The exams are continuing in Lahore, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Chakwal, Hafizabad and some other districts. But the school administrators are facing difficulties in holding the exams in the prevailing hot weather.

"It is cruel to force the schoolchildren to attend classes and appear in exams because a large number of schools are facing problems of unavailability of water, power supply disruption, inadequate capacity of buildings and other infrastructure,” Punjab Teachers Union secretary general Rana Liaqat Ali said while speaking to The Express Tribune.

“There is an emergency situation and the Punjab government should immediately announce an early closure of schools for the summer vacations,” he added.

He said the situation was grave in the remote districts where students walked to schools from long distances. A number of schools in those areas also lack water supply.

The teachers’ leader said the government should install air conditioners in schools if it wanted to keep them open in such harsh weather.

An official of a private school said, "We have issued special instructions to parents to adopt precautionary measures while sending their kids, but the situation is alarming.

Naseem Akhtar, the mother of a schoolchild, said a large number of students remained stuck in traffic while going to and returning from the schools.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 11^th, 2022.