Education in disarray

THE academic calendar for millions of children is being adversely affected at the start of 2015 as blockade-centred violence shows no signs of abating. Parents are in a state of panic as to whether to send their children to school since opposition activists make little distinction of where their projectiles land and to what effect on the street. Little wonder, education is suffering the same fate as various sectors of the economy in this open ended blockade stifling the capital city. The primary concern remains one of safety of children since it is impossible to protect them against hit-and-run tactics that are the norm of the day. Beyond physical safety, children are being exposed to macabre scenes in live footage on television.

Given the state of affairs, school authorities are in a fix as how to maintain some sort of normalcy in an absurd situation. Whilst teachers may make it to their respective educational institutions, the calendar year is not moving ahead when the bulk of students can't make it to class. For students hoping to appear for 'O' and 'A' level examinations, the situation is particularly dire. If they cannot make it to the examination centres then they lose out altogether. For the million students due to appear at the SSC exams on February 2, the current situation has become nerve-racking and is taking a toll on their studies.