Online learning is the call of the day: US educationist

The News recently interviewed Anastasia Selberis, Vice-President, Global Relations, Calsouthern, a 100 percent online university headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, USA. She talked on a number of issues pertaining to education in the present-day world. The crux of her replies was that today what was called for was innovative, globalised online education.

She attributes the unsatisfactory literacy rates in the Third World countries to outdated, outmoded methods of teaching. She is of the view that in order to attain satisfactory literacy rates, we have to attach utmost importance to primary and secondary education.

She disclosed that the Calsouthern had an affiliate in Pakistan by the name of Calpak. The latter, she said, was doing commendable work in Pakistan, especially in the rural areas. The two, she said, were cooperating actively to take the torch of learning to the country’s rural areas.

“We transcend borders,” remarked Selberis. She said that highly encouraging results had been obtained in Pakistan. (At this juncture, Aneela Ali, a Pakistani resident in California, USA, interjected to narrate the success of Calpak and said they had adopted schools in Pakistan, two of which were situated in Malir and Shireen Colony respectively. She said that immediately after adopting these schools, they eliminated social evils like drugs and interference by obscurantist elements who were hindering the cause of education. She painted a very positive post-adoption picture).

Continuing, Selberis spoke to The News on various issues. Asked as to what remedies she’d suggest for the elitist treatment to education in these days of capitalism, she replied, “The online model, especially for the rural areas.” She said they had had success with teaching the administrative, leadership aspect of nursing online and it had paid dividends.

Talking specifically about the educational scenario of Pakistan, given that as an educationist she would be acquainted with the education systems of various countries, she replied, “While I can’t spell out in detail what ails the system here, what I could say is that you have to give due importance to innovative online learning. Besides, you have to revamp your curricula in light of the global perspective. You have to inject globalism into you curricula.”

That way, she said, the students would become more cosmopolitan and cultivate intellectual magnanimity which, she said, was the prerequisite to education. “What you need in Pakistan is “globalised education.”

When her attention was drawn to the fact that often education in the Third World countries become a self-defeating exercise when it begins to veer towards nationalism and pristine glory, she agreed, and said, “You have to move away from concentrated nationalism as that can make education an exercise in futility. You have to engage students, globally, internationally.”

As for liberal arts education which seems to be relegated these days on account of information technology, computer sciences, business administration and other manifestations of technology, she agreed with this correspondent that this form of education was a must even in the present-day technologically-oriented world, subjects like literature, philosophy, history, music, anthropology, subjects that really broaden one’s perspective on various issues, cultivate depth of vision, and make a person really educated. She had reservations about the view that interest in these disciplines was waning. However, she said that modern technology was a reality and there was no running away from it. As such, she said that we’d have to harmoniously merge liberal arts with modern technology.

As for education becoming a very expensive pursuit these days, she did not fully agree and said that one did not have to pay a fortune for online education. It was open to all and sundry without consideration of geographical barriers. She said that online learning was the most comprehensive answer to the attainment of education.