Winning doesn't always mean being first. Winning means you're doing better than you've ever done before – Bonnie Blair

Education crisis in the country

Through this letter I would like to bring up the major issue of education in Karachi. As a student I can clearly state that our government is showing no interest towards the downfall of our education, and clearly is taking no steps for it to get any better. The government schools and institutes are falling apart with zero to no education. The teachers are irresponsible and are more interested in getting tuition fees than anything else. Also, we are far behind the contents we are studying in our respective class compared to other students in the world. The situation has left serious impacts on students as it is difficult for them to compete with International students. Government should take steps to update the curriculum and hire competent teachers who are dedicated to work.

Areeba Noor,
Karachi

BENEFITS OF PLANTING TREES

Most often we plant trees to provide shade and beautify our landscapes. These are great benefits but trees also provide other less obvious benefits. Trees make life nicer. It has been shown that spending time among trees and green spaces reduces the amount of stress that we carry around with us in our daily lives. Hospital patients have been shown to recover from surgery more quickly when their hospital room offered a view of trees. Children have been shown to retain more of the information taught in schools if they spend some of their time outdoors in green spaces. Trees are often planted as living memorials or reminders of loved ones or to commemorate significant events in our lives. Even though you may own the trees on your property your neighbors may benefit from them as well. Through careful planning trees can be an asset to your entire community. Tree lined streets have a traffic calming effect, traffic moves more slowly and safely. Trees can be placed to screen unwanted views or noise from busy highways. Trees can complement the architecture or design of buildings or entire neighborhoods. Trees reduce the urban heat island effect through evaporative cooling and reducing the amount of sunlight that reaches parking lots and buildings. This is especially true in areas with large impervious surfaces, such as parking lots of stores and industrial complexes. Trees improve our air quality by filtering harmful dust and pollutants such as ozone, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide from the air we breathe. Well placed trees can reduce your cooling costs in the summer by shading the south and west sides of your home. If deciduous trees are used, they will allow the sun to pass through and warm your home in the winter. So we should think about planting trees in our neighborhood to get its maximum advantages.

Yumna Khalid,
Islamabad