Manners anyone????

By Suzanna Sardar Masih


Last week while trying to get to my first class of the day I came across an extremely disturbing scene. At the check post the security lady as usual was shouting at the top of her lungs “apna apna id card nikal len” at all the girls passing through the narrow opening between the makeshift barriers. That is nothing new ofcourse, this is the daily routine for the students of the University of Karachi, but what followed next was absolutely shocking to say the least.

Out of nowhere the security lady grabbed a girl out of the line and pushed her to the side so hard that she nearly fell on the floor, all the time shouting “apna card nikal len kab se keh rahi hun….. phir hamen daant parti hai”. The poor girl and all the people around just looked at her in shocked surprise while she continued her ranting. Being guilty of not having a university issued ID card myself and dreading the same fate ever I quietly slipped out of the line and continued on my way to my department. All the while wondering does that behaviour suit an employee of the biggest public sector university in Pakistan.

I can understand that with the current condition of the city, security personnel have to be extra careful and watchful of their charge, but to humiliate a student like that is just unacceptable. Especially when usually it is not the students fault that they do not have an ID card. The respective authorities fail to issue cards to students on time and when the student highlights the issue he or she is sent on a wild goose chase to the various Admins and departments involved in the process. I myself have had this experience of chasing after people for my ID card all year long in the first year and I am still without one!

Its not just the lower level staff that behave so indifferently with the students even the clerical staff and the office personnel show such apathy towards the students problems that we tend to avoid them altogether unless it is absolutely necessary. What happened that day was completely unasked for, Im not saying that students are perfect innocent angels all the time I am only asking that they deal with us in a more humane manner. It is all about give respect and take respect.