Karachi [Pakistan], June 2 (ANI): Highlighting the absolute collapse of the public education infrastructure in Pakistan, nearly 50,000 students at the country's largest university have been left in limbo, according to a report by Dawn. A massive teachers' boycott of semester examinations over claimed unpaid dues has entered its fourth consecutive week, completely disrupting academic plans and triggering widespread anxiety among students and their distressed parents.

With no definitive timeline established for the resumption of exams, students face a grim future of prolonged delays to the academic calendar, severely compressed semesters, and the complete forfeiture of their semester break.

The crisis has exposed the deep-rooted apathy of the provincial government, with severe criticism directed at the chief minister, who acts as the ultimate controlling authority for all public-sector universities across Sindh, for failing to intervene or resolve the mounting dispute.

According to Dawn, University of Karachi (KU) faculty members initiated their boycott on May 5 to protest the non-payment of dues spanning evening classes, copy checking, exam supervision, paper setting, exam vigilance, house ceiling, and leave encashment.

Demanding an independent investigation into the pervasive financial mismanagement on campus, the striking teachers refuse to end their agitation until their demands are met in full.

Meanwhile, this systemic breakdown has left the student community facing immense psychological stress and helplessness under a failing regime.

'I don't want to continue further studies at KU anymore. I'm so fed up with this broken system,' a frustrated student lamented to Dawn, pointing out that despite paying his educational fees punctually, basic academic facilities were non-existent.

Similarly, a first-year student from the Department of International Relations expressed her deep disillusionment with her very first semester at the institute.

'It's my first semester at KU. I am still learning how the system works and adapting to university life. I prepared extensively for the exams, studying day and night, only to have them cancelled unexpectedly. My biggest concern now is that if the exams are rescheduled during the semester break, as it is rumoured, the entire break will be spent preparing for and taking exams. This uncertainty has completely disrupted my plans and added unnecessary stress,' she stated.

Further exposing the administrative failure, a student from the Department of English lambasted the total lack of accountability and communication.

'Just like many other students, I am frustrated due to the prolonged delay in examinations and the lack of clear communication from both the university and teachers. We are uncertain about when exams will take place and worried about the impact on the next semester,' the student noted, expressing deep concern over the massive loss of study time.

Compounding these woes, a final-year Visual Studies student highlighted that such bitter standoffs between the dysfunctional administration and the staff have become a chronic, recurring feature of the university.

He remarked that while the teachers and management eventually draft compromises, 'students are the ones who suffer the most from such delays.'

The student noted that almost a month of the academic year has already been squandered, with absolutely no roadmap from the university on how to recover the lost time.

'We do not know whether the next semester will be shortened, whether multiple papers will be scheduled on the same day, or how the lost time will be managed,' the student said, adding that fees have scaled up exponentially while the quality of education continues to deteriorate rapidly.

'The fee structure is now approaching that of private universities, but the facilities are nowhere near the same standard,' he said, adding, 'Sometimes I wonder whether it would have been better to enrol in a private university.'

Outraged by the state's indifference, students have taken to various social media platforms to fiercely criticise the Sindh Chief Minister and the Universities and Boards Department, demanding answers as to why the government has completely abandoned Pakistan's premier educational institution to decay.

Speaking to Dawn, Karachi University Teachers Society (KUTS) President Syed Ghufran Alam acknowledged the severe distress caused to the youth but placed the blame squarely on the 'bad university administration.'

'Students are suffering, but not because of teachers. The responsibility lies with the bad management,' Alam asserted, adding that the university leadership has failed entirely to balance the extraction of hefty fees from students with the timely payment of employee salaries.

Alam revealed that faculty members were pushed to the brink after the administration consistently adopted a rigid stance over the past six to seven years, completely shunning meaningful dialogue.

Addressing the immediate future of the stalled examinations, he stated that students would be granted adequate preparation time once the gridlock ends.

'We will facilitate students and take the student organisations on board. Any decision to restart exams will be announced a few days in advance,' he mentioned, while noting that the ultimate execution of the academic calendar remains entangled in the university's broken administrative machinery. (ANI)