“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” – Gautama Buddha

Ghost teachers

There was a time when getting an admission in a government school or college was considered prestigious and honourable. Fast forward to recent decades, it has become a seal of deprivation and deplorability. The state of government educational institutions is pathetic. But what angers one more is the absenteeism of teachers and presence of ‘ghost teachers’. These ghost teachers are hired by government schools to teach students, but they never show up; yet receive designated salaries of the duty they are otherwise meant to fulfil. It is not just branded as dishonesty and injustice, in fact, it is a crime. But to whom should one complain about this? The black-money earners are filling their pockets with illegal earnings while our children suffer in silence, deprived of one of their basic rights – education.

Mehboob Hasnain,
Hyderabad

Polluted beaches

Karachites are proud to be naturally gifted with their share of the Arabian Sea and a long coast, but if one visits the beach, they are sure to return shaking their head in dismay. Most of the beaches in Karachi are littered with garbage, food wrappers, plastic bottles and what not, making it an overall unpleasant experience for beachgoers. We can’t collectively burden the government with all the blame-game, for the citizens are also at fault. People throwing away litter, while they stroll across the beach is a common sight. In the past years, there were several beach-cleaning drives, but as of late Karachi doesn’t seem to spot any beach-saviours. Therefore, I would request the local authorities to impose laws and prohibit visitors to stop littering the seashore.

Mehak Kashif,
Karachi

Heightened eve-teasing

There are many facets to the large amount of problems Pakistani women have to undergo in the country, and eve-teasing is one of them. A woman cannot feel secure while she is commuting anywhere and is constantly exposed to throngs of men either ogling, leering or in worst situations, catcalling, groping and following them. Women are harassed at every waking hour of the day and night when they are out in public spaces or otherwise. Be it the workplace or a nearby grocery store, eve-teasing can take place anywhere, regardless of what a woman is wearing. What bothers one most is that other men passing by witness the harassment taking place in front of their eyes, yet only a few bother to reach out and help the victim. What they don’t realise is while today it is someone else’s daughter, wife or mother, next time the woman could be someone from their family.

Rehan Ahmed,
Faisalabad

Child beggars

Child beggars are everywhere. They are roaming around the streets, standing near traffic signals and are seen outside stores and restaurants. When is it that you don’t spot them queued and approaching vehicles and passers-by with their hands spread out? Washed with sympathy one does end up giving them a 10 rupee note or a few coins, but do we ever bother seeing the bigger side of the picture? While there were many adult beggars roaming the streets, the ratio of child beggars has marginally increased in recent years. They are children who are supposed to be the future of our country, yet they are here being admonished by citizens if they insist too long for a few coins.

Alhamra Badeen,
Lahore