Student Union

Pakistan Students Say Refund Fees or Provide Better Classes  

FILE - A student works on her computer sitting on a bench at Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women's University in Peshawar, Pakistan, Oct. 19, 2017.

Students across Pakistan have turned to social media to demand their universities remedy the failures of online learning.

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“Students are stressed and depressed. There is an intense requirement of self-direction and students are in trouble to manage these issues,” Twitter user @iqra_bisma tweeted.

Students took their grievances to Twitter with #ResolveIssuesOfStudents, about the lack of action from the Higher Education Commission during the transition to online classes.

Students are requesting a refund of university fees that have not been waived since the transition to remote learning.

Campus closures because of the coronavirus pandemic has left many unemployed, and students and their families are struggling to pay school fees.

“There are students who used to pay their fee by [their] own pocket money,” said Usman Raza Jolaha, 26, student of National Defense University in Islamabad. “But in lockdown they are unable because of no jobs or [they were] fired from [their] jobs.”

Students gathered outside of the Higher Education Commision (HEC) office in Islamabad on June 3 to express their demands. The HEC answered in a press release, saying, “students were told to inform HEC about any specific issue that will be taken up with the respective university.”

SEE ALSO: US Students Sue Universities, Demand Tuition Refund


The Volunteer Force Pakistan, a non-profit and non-political youth organization, started the hashtag #ResolveIssuesOfStudents on Twitter to bring attention to students’ needs. The online protest also maintains physical distancing during the pandemic.

“As we can't go outside in this pandemic, we are utilizing online tools for protest to convey our message to intelligentsia and policy makers,” said Jolaha, founder and president of Volunteer Force Pakistan.

Students say they have been harassed or expelled for complaining about online classes, and they identified themselves only by a single name.

In a letter circulating on Twitter, Capital University of Science and Technology told a student he was being expelled for violating university rules of discipline by using social media to protest online classes.

A student from CUST received this letter. Threat of rustication is given to him for protesting online.#ResolveIssuesOfStudents pic.twitter.com/Sx2SxvAxtd


Universities across the world have moved classes online to adapt to the coronavirus pandemic. However, for students who have limited or no access to the internet, completing requirements for their online courses is challenging and sometimes impossible.

For many students like Sheeza Sarwar, 22, slow internet connection causes frustration and difficulties.

“I have to move outside of my house to download videos and pictures ... the internet is very slow inside [of my] house,” said Sarwar.

The lack of internet connection reflects the urban-rural divide in Pakistan.

“The network in the other areas of our country isn’t as good as the broadband in the cities,” said Elina Ghosh, 19. “Therefore, I end up missing my classes and miss a lot of classwork.”

According to a report from the International Telecommunication Union database, in 2017, only 16 percent of the population of Pakistan had access to the internet.

Educators are struggling, too.

“The teachers are also in distress,” said Jolaha. “Of course, they care about students' future.”

Sarwar says that teachers are finding it difficult to deliver lectures online.

“They are trying their best but still we are facing problems,” said Sarwar. “Online teaching is difficult for them too.”

With limited to no internet access for students across the country, some suggest that universities should cancel their final exams, using the hashtag #SayNoToFinalExams.

However, others say this is not the answer.

“Boycotting online classes/exams is not the solution. Govt officials should sit with the students & academic experts to find out solution for the future of students,” tweeted user @mohsin_fareed_6 on June 10.

Students in Pakistan and worldwide have reported an increase of stress because of the switch to online learning.

A teenage girl committed suicide because she did not have a television or smart phone to access online classes, reported Pakistan Today.

Ghosh said the uncertainty of the situation leads to anxiety.

“We absolutely do not have any idea when the colleges are going to open,” she said.

Others say the uncertainty of the progress of their education is more mentally draining than the global pandemic.

“Attendance, assignments, quizzes, and the fear of online exams are more depressing than the COVID19 itself,” tweeted @ujalalalala on June 9.