Education city Islamabad No proper transport for students
Islamabad:Students, in what will be the Education City of the future, continue to face immense mobility problems, yet neither CDA nor university administrations seem too serious in providing public transport to and from the campuses.
The H series of the federal capital has been dedicated for educational institutions according to the master plan of Islamabad and it already comprises many higher education institutions.
Among the universities in the said area that do provide buses for their students, the problem exists within the campuses in case of departments located well apart, as there is no shuttle service available for students to go from one department to the other, whereas waiting for a taxi is too troublesome, especially during summers.
Despite this being a major issue, no concrete steps have been taken by the university authorities or the city fathers. The problem can never be solved because the decision makers usually have cars, commented one student.
For universities like FAST, NUML and Iqra, it is not practical for students to use public transport, as stops are located far away from the campuses. In case of universities located in Sector H-11 like FAST and International Islamic University (IIU), there is no public transport from Sector G-11 bus stop up to the university entrance.
We have no choice but to make some private arrangement with other friends to get to the university, said one FAST student. He said though the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) had announced that it would only recognise the degree of those universities that provide transport to its students, majority of the engineering universities have failed to do so.
On the other hand, in universities like IIUI and National University of Management Sciences (NUST), lack of transport within the campus has become a big irritant for the students. For majority of the female students, it is not possible to visit the cafe reserved for girls, as it is located at quite a distance from the female campus, said one student of IIU. In NUST, the distance between different departments is in kilometres. Since most students do not own cars, they have to walk long distances to go from one place to another. Facilities have been created for teachers but no one thinks about the problems faced by the students, said one NUST student.
Reacting to the complaints, an official at NUST told The News that providing a shuttle service to the students is in the overall plan of the University but it would take time. We are in the process of construction and the shuttle service will come after that, he said adding that it would also require a huge amount of money.
As compared to the developed world where good universities are like a city, the distance between different departments in NUST is quite normal, he pointed out and said that all around the globe, students use bicycles to move within the campuses but in Pakistan students feel ashamed to do so.
The official was of the view that there is a need to reintroduce the culture of using bicycles among youth instead of arranging for expensive shuttle service in every university. The universities should provide special stands and tracks for bicycles. In Holland, free bicycles are available at every stand in the universities and students use them to move from one point to the other within the campus.
Indeed, the concept of using bicycles is the most suitable for a poor nation like Pakistan but for girls living in this country, doing so is considered a taboo. But to become a progressive nation, there is a need to learn certain lessons from the nations that are already on the track of development. Breaking such taboos is one lesson that provides the basis for sustainable development.
