“Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.” – Benjamin Franklin

Put an end to begging

As a third world country, we may be asking for too much saying there should not be begging on the streets considering half the population is living below the poverty line but it is high time that the government take necessary measures to put an end to this menace. More often than not, the not-so-deserving people are seen on city streets begging and there is an entire mafia that is flourishing under the garb of neediness.

Rana Khan,
Karachi

The education business

In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court ordered private schools to reduce their fees by 20 per cent, and while parents are rejoicing considering the substantial difference, it is still to be known how the school managements will react to this. While fee is expected to do down, there is an underlying threat that schools will seek to cover the deficit with hidden charges and extra curriculum charges, which will lead to a reduced relief. Quality education is a basic right but it is hard enough for majority of the parents to keep up with the demands by the private schools. The government needs to ensure the complete implementation of court’s order.

Leena Ahmed,
Karachi

Healthy children are happy children

For the longest time, school lunches have included foods like oily samosas and packets of chips but it is about time that stopped. School is a place of learning and it is here that we need to promote the entire idea of healthy eating and we can start by requiring parents to send healthy foods, such as nuts, fruits and veggies, on all days except allotting one day and calling it ‘healthy eating day’. Schools need to eliminate all junk foods from canteens and educate children on the negative effects of it at growing age so that the same discussion can be avoided in a doctor’s clinic.

Usman Khalid,
Lahore

Reminder: Our national game is hockey

Ask any Pakistani what their favourite sport is and the answer will always be cricket. But loving one sport does not mean we completely eliminate the interest, hype and focus on other national teams. Hockey may be our national sport and once when Pakistan was known to own the hockey fields has become an area of dying interest. The poor performance in the recent tournament was a wake-up call to improve team selection, training and more. The management despite pocketing hefty salaries is not showing any concern for improvement and that is also due to the lack of public interest in the sport. It is about time the national hockey team was given more exposure at home.

Alizay Noman,
Multan