MEDICAL TEST FIASCO: It is sur-prising that The Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) is compromised almost every year, but no concrete measures have been taken to stop this bungling. The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) should prepare 50 or more test papers, lock them up in a room, and hand over its keys to some designated senior official. One day before the exam, the official should open the room along with a senior police official and pick one test paper randomly. It should be run on a computer. Further administrative arrangements should also be sorted out.

Khayyam Durrani
Karachi

POWER SUPPLY: While the Abdul Aziz Library in Sukkur district’s Pano Aqil town offers necessary equipment for the visiting students, its poor battery-powered system is a nuisance. Due to limited backup, the staff shuts down the battery-powered system daily from 4pm to 5pm, often extending to 6pm. Conse-quently, most of the students leave the library, while some prefer to continue studying using the torch in their cellphones. Students and the library staff have repeatedly complained to the rele-vant authorities, but no action has been taken so far. The higher authorities should ensure a proper power supply to the library.

Sheenhal Khan Korai
Pano Aqil

EMPLOYING CHILDREN: The Punjab Restriction on Employment of Children Act, 2016, bars employers from hiring children below the age of 15 years for any kind of work. In addition, adol-escents cannot be employed to perform hazardous work. However, the legal sanctions are frequently being violated blatantly. We can see children working at all sorts of outlets. It is very unfortunate that this invaluable human asset is being wasted. Moreover, children are prone to sexual exploitation at their respective workplaces. It is high time the law was implemented in its true spirit, and offenders were brought to book without any sort of discrimination.

Faiq Naeem
Lahore

Published in Dawn, December 1st, 2024