"How will people work when there is no light?" she ponders.
This is a question which baffles even the sharpest minds in the country, and Shristina, who says she is having a hard time doing her homework due to the power cuts, is one of many students whose studies have been disrupted.
While load-shedding is a curse to the economy and a great source of frustration for professionals who depend on electricity to work, it has also put the educational progress of students at risk.
"I used to study under an oil-fed lamp, but now my uncle bought an emergency light (rechargeable lamp), so it is a little better now," tells Shristina.
Apart from her studies, Shristina is also not able to enjoy her favorite pastime, a painting program on her computer. Instead she plays with her four-year-old sister to pass the time.
“I feel embarrassed when I go to school without any homework,” says 12-year-old Ruchir Dahal of Paragon Public School.
A grade seven student, Ruchir says he isn’t able to get any homework done at home at all anymore. He says it is an event when the lights come on in his home in Sinamangal.
Sanju Maharjan is an intermediate dental science student at the Kathmandu Medical College. What frustrates her most is that she cannot iron her uniform in the mornings before heading off for college, which she claims disturbs her mindset for the whole day.
"It is utterly frustrating to find that the lights are not there when I wake up in the morning," she states with a frown. "I get no information, I can’t watch TV, and worst of all I can’t listen to music!" she laments.
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Teachers in many schools claim they have considerably reduced the amount of home assignments for their students as a result of the power outages.
"I keep on receiving complaints from my students that they couldn’t complete their homework because of load-shedding, so we cannot carry on our regular lessen plans, ” claims Udip Pokhrel, science teacher at Ankur Vidyashram, Gaushala.
This only indicates students are not turning in their normal amount of homework, which ultimately affects their long-term academic performance.
Krishnaa Karmacharya is a third year student of computer science at Kathmandu Engineering College. She has no idea how she will complete her project work since all her work is computer-based.
Although Krishnaa´s college has a generator, she says power is irregular and the generator can’t handle the load when all computers are in use at once.
"The worst news I heard is that our exams are being rescheduled because the course is not going to be complete on time, thanks to load-shedding," she laments.
Krishnaa isn’t as lucky as Anupama Baral, who is doing her Bachelor of Nursing from the Teaching Hospital in Maharajgunj.
“I live in the Teaching Hospital student’s hostel so I haven’t experienced load-shedding until today,” shares Anupama.
Anupama is among only a few students in the country who have the privilege of studying under normal light. Something which should have been the right of all students is now the privilege of just a few.
There is nothing these young people can do to solve the problem, except wonder why the generation before them could not see the looming energy crisis and do something about it before it was too late.
kushal@myrepublica.com
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