All previous administrations at the Karachi University have failed to provide facilities to disabled students who enrolled on quota due to their negligence. As a result, these students suffered ongoing challenges in terms of transportation and getting an education at Karachi University. Many old buildings were not constructed to the requirements of disabled students at Karachi University. As a result, more than 80% of the old departments cannot provide construction-based facilities to these students. However, many new buildings have been constructed in the last two decades, but they do not have the facilities for disabled students. These basic facilities include a ramp at the building’s entrance, a specially designed separate toilet, an elevator, and a ramp allowing direct access to the first floor of any building. It should be noted that 2% of total admission seats at Karachi University are earmarked for disabled students under the special quota system, with the availability of 280 seats. This year, 18 students have got the admission to these reserved seats, while some of the admission is conducted on open merit, which takes place at the time of scholarship application.
The STC building (now the Department of Visual Studies) and the Mahmood Hussain Library constructed decades ago at Karachi University. These buildings have been built according to the old design, but these two buildings have direct access to the first floor via a ramp. This facility is not available in any newly constructed building. According to information obtained from the University’s Department of Planning and Development, A ramp has been constructed in the new Department of Visual Studies building to access the first floor. The building is part of the University’s “Improvement of Academic Infrastructure” reconstruction project, including a new girls’ hostel, a new science faculty block, a centre for digital forensics, and a new social sciences block.
According to the P&D department, ramps have been installed on the ground floor of all these buildings that are now under construction, but no ramps have been installed on the first floor of any building except the Department of Visual Studies, and PC One has no elevators in any of these buildings. According to a P&C official, the HEC has granted such a small budget for building construction that the elevator option cannot be included.
It’s important to note that there has been a long list of new construction buildings at Karachi university in the last two decades. Most of the buildings’ PC-1s were approved, and construction started during the tenure of former Vice-Chancellor Dr Pirzada Qasim, while several buildings were also constructed during the tenure of another former Vice-Chancellor, Dr Muhammad Qaiser. 90% of buildings have been built during the periods of these two vice-chancellors with no ramp on the group floor, no elevator and no special toilets for disabled people. During this time, the new administration building has no ramp—only the education department building, which US-AID sponsors, includes a ramp on the first floor.
The Express also attempted to contact students who were affected by the situation. When contacted by “Express,” Ali, an M.Phil student at Karachi University who was affected by these inadequacies, told the “Express” about the difficulties he has faced from BS to M.Phil.
He is currently doing his M.Phil at the Area Study Center for Europe, and there are no ramps at the Center. When he arrived at the institute, he waited for 2-3 people to gather and take him inside the building.
Ali stated there was no ramp when he was pursuing a BS in the discipline of Mass Communication; his classmates used to carry his wheelchair inside the building for three years. At the time, Dr Mahmood Ghaznavi, the Department Chairman, built a ramp for him at his own expense.
According to Ali, the Chairman stated that he had requested to build a ramp from the Karachi University management but had not received a satisfactory response, and this ramp is still in use.
According to Ali, during BS, when he wanted to go to the department’s library on the first floor to study, he faced a lot of trouble; His classmates would carry him upstairs.
He stated that the new administrative block of Karachi University, constructed a few years ago, is newly built but that there is no ramp here either. You have to take the help to get to the elevator. In response to an incident, he stated that the Faculty of Arts’ administration had erected pipes in several places to restrict the passage of motorcycles, and pedestrians chose a different path. However, due to the pipe’s unexpected blockage, he had witnessed blind students fall to the ground.
He also described the toilet problems.
It should be noted that ramps have been built following the construction of some new or old buildings in some areas. Karachi University Business School and the Mass Communication Building are two of them.
On the other hand, when information was obtained from NED University, Vice-Chancellor Dr Tufail Ahmed stated that ramps had been installed in all of the University’s new and old buildings. Students, as well as the elder, also used it.
According to him, the University has decided that if we have any disabled students in any batch, we conduct all the classes on the first floor.
In NED, first and second-year classes are usually conducted on the first floor. However, if any batch has a disabled student, then these junior classes will be conducted on the ground floors.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 2nd, 2022.
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