An effective educational system provides the foundation for the socio-economic development of society. That Pakistan literacy rate is around 56 percent shows that the country has to do a lot to strengthen its education sector. The Covid-19 pandemic paused educational activities across the country. Only elite education institutions were able to complete the syllabus in a timely manner. During the first wave of Covid-19, there was a debate on social media on how to resume educational activities. Back in March, when I discussed with a provincial education secretary how to engage students during the pandemic, he replied that the authorities are finding a solution. So far there hasn’t been any solution that can ensure that an academic session is not interrupted due to the pandemic.
The current circumstances call for the authorities to ensure that all students have access to the basic internet facilities. Currently, students who live in remote areas suffer a lot because of school closures as they don’t have the internet to stay connected. With the help of the internet, students can take online classes easily. When I was in Chitral, I was able to take online classes of an international schools using a local internet service provider without any interruption. If students have internet facilities, education institutions can easily keep them engaged.
Ihtisham Ul Haq
Chitral
