Education ministry signs LoU for distance learning

Islamabad : A Letter of Understanding (LoU) has been signed between the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training and POWER99 Foundation. Waseem Ajmal Chaudhary, joint secretary, Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training and Fakhira Najib, chief executive, POWER99 Foundation signed the LoU, says a press release.

Under the LoU, POWER99 Foundation will voluntarily provide its technical expertise and content of 100 radio lessons of ‘Broad Class - Listen to Learn’ Interactive Radio Instruction programme for the Radio School to facilitate the efforts of the government regarding distance learning through radio broadcasting across Pakistan to engage children in activity-based learning in order to nurture their cognitive skills, and to keep them engaged in learning and educational activities.

POWER99 Foundation pioneered ‘Broad Class - Listen to Learn’ Interactive Radio Instruction program in 2012. The programme combines radio broadcasts with active learning to improve educational quality, equity, inclusiveness and teaching practices with the ultimate goal of achieving gains in learning, including gains in girls’ achievement and closing the rural/urban education gap and increased access for out-of-school learners. The programme has provided high-quality interactive audio programs to children attending formal, non-governmental, religious schools (madaris) and community schools. It has helped to stabilize fragile communities by providing a consistent, attractive, and reliable service; engaging families and communities; and teaching knowledge and skills that both children and adults need in order to move out of conflict and poverty.

During Covid-19 pandemic, when the schools were closed, POWER99 Foundation launched Broad Class - Listen to Learn - ‘Parhai Caro Na’ and ‘Radio, My Best Friend,’ distance learning initiatives for children to ensure continuity of educational process at home during coronavirus pandemic as a stop gap salutation for equal and quality learning opportunities for children and families confined at home. The programme is designed to run with either low or high levels of support. This accommodating design makes programme a flexible tool for education in emergency situations. Indeed, using a previously developed ‘Broad Class - Listen to Learn’ series to resolve an educational crisis is a great and cost-effective solution, done by careful planning and parallel support mechanisms. The programme has benefitted more than 14 million population in 43 districts of Pakistan.

The lessons will be aired through national hook-up of Radio Pakistan under the Radio School programme of Federal Ministry to ensure children’s access to education at the doorstep to save their educational loss due to Covid-19 and will benefit children from far-flung areas, especially girls who do not have access to schools due to any reason and children those working in workshops would take benefit from it and not deprived of the basic right to education.