Power Cuts Test Students' Patience

Lack of reliable electricity ups the pressure during exam time.

Students working towards crucial school exams in Baghdad say constant power outages are putting their studies, and consequently their futures, on the line.

Final-year exams, which run from June 5 through the rest of the month, are critical for high school students, whose scores will determine which university or college they can attend.

For those in the last year of secondary school, the exams decide which preparatory school they will enroll in to continue their studies.

With all this at stake, the tests are arduous enough in themselves.

But with Baghdad temperatures hovering around 43 degrees Celsius, and electricity cuts restricted use of fans to five minutes or so every few hours, students say it’s nearly impossible to study.

Khalid Sa’eed, a student in the final year at high school, told IWPR that the frequent power outages are affecting his concentration.

It means that his day is dictated by the electricity supply, which often means that he ends up missing classes.

“I stay at home when there is power for one or two hours instead of attending a lecture,” he said.

Farhad Salman became so frustrated with the frequent cuts that he bought a private generator so his daughter could prepare properly for her final exams. “She needs a suitable atmosphere to help her study and get a decent degree to attend the College of Engineering,” Salman said. “This is my only dream.”

His daughter Jinan Salman told IWPR that if she becomes an engineer, she will “work on restoring permanent, continuous electricity for the coming generations”.

Adnan Hadee, a bus driver, says he can’t afford to buy a generator, “My son is suffering because of the frequent power outages, because it affects his studying,” said Hadee. “I’m hoping he can attend a university so that he can assist me in the future.”

Engineer Abdul Jabbar al-Janabee, head of the technical department at Baghdad’s al-Karkh electricity office, told IWPR that the city authorities are trying to formulate a plan to provide electricity during the exam period.

“But the power supply is a problem because of sabotage acts, which prevent us from providing [an uninterrupted] service to the people,” he said.

Nasir Kadhim is an IWPR trainee in Baghdad.