Schoolteachers and owners have suggested that the working hours of the institutions should be reduced rather than giving additional holidays to curb smog.
Commenting on the government’s decision to keep the educational institutions and businesses shut every Wednesday, leaders of the Punjab Teachers Union (PTU) and Private School Management Association said the school hours should be reduced to avoid the wastage of students’ time.
Members of the business community also opposed the decision, asserting that it would cause financial loss without substantially reducing the smog.
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“The situation regarding smog is under control and the air quality in Lahore is also better. A large number of schools observe holidays on Saturday and Sunday. When they will be closed on Wednesday, the management will open them on Saturday and there will not be much benefit of the move,” said a school owner.
He said the traffic on Saturday would increase in such a situation. The government should consult the stake holders in this regard, he added.
He said the school owners’ association had already given a suggestion to reduce the school timing.
He said the students were busy in preparing for the matriculation exams and there would be winter vacations in December that might be extended because of smog.
A leader of the teachers’ union said the decision to keep the schools shut on Wednesdays would be counterproductive because the students of government schools were already suffering due to the shortage of teachers.
He said reducing the school time would be the bast option an the government should consider it.
Read more: Mid-week day off announced in city
The government schools currently open at 7:15am and shut at 1:00pm. There is heavy smog in the morning, which subsides amid sunshine.
The teacher said the schools should be opened from 9:00am to 1:00pm to avoid the peak hours of smog.
He said the authorities should admit that smog was a reality and steps to cope with the issue should be taken while avoiding drastic measures.
The teacher said increasing school holidays was not a wise decision.
Meanwhile, a group of businesspeople threatened to protest if the government closed the markets on Wednesday.
“The business community is already suffering and now the Punjab government is increasing our difficulties. Instead of closing our businesses, the government should improve its own anti-smog measures,” said Waqar Ahmad Mian Chairman of tge Anjuman Tajran Lahore, Quaid-i-Azam Group.
He said while speaking to reporters that the smog would not end as a result of keeping the markets shut for a day.
He said a meeting with broad representation of traders should be convened to develop consensus over the matter.
Waqar Ahmed said many traders in the city were finding it difficult to pay the rent of their shops.
He alleged that the government had selected a specific group of businessmen to reach an agreement on the weekly shutdown, but the other traders would protest against any move to impose the decision.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 12th, 2023.
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