KARACHI:
The quality of education has debilitated further after educational institutes across the country shifted towards an online mode of teaching. As the spread of the first wave ebbed, many educational institutions adopted a hybrid model for teaching. However, the quality of education continues to suffer amidst the current uncertain situation which was further exacerbated by faulty decision-making.
After the pandemic halted major activities around the world, educational institutes in Pakistan did not even have an independent Learning Management System (LMS) — an online platform which integrated lectures, assessment, and students’ progress online. This switch was particularly hard for traditional teachers who were less tech savvy. Furthermore, since private schools and universities had to justify their fees, they immediately started online sessions through Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet. The quality of teaching worsened as the focus of teachers shifted towards ensuring the successful completion of an online session rather than coming up with innovate ways through which students could learn efficiently online. The management remained concerned with completing the formalities so that they could justify their fees by ensuring that classes were held, and the syllabus completed. On the other hand, students in many public sector universities remained deprived of online classes too, and were just provided reading material. Even now when we know that online teaching will continue to be a new normal, educational institutions in Pakistan are not well-prepared to deliver quality lectures and ensure actual learning.
They are in dire need of trained IT professionals who can work in collaboration with curriculum developers and course instructors to streamline lectures, assessment details, and students’ progress on the LMS. Besides, platforms like Google Classroom, Kahoot, and Quizlet must be used effectively to assess students on a regular basis. It is crucial to ensure interactivity and foster an environment of dialogue even within online classrooms. It is time we stop treating education as a mere business and realise that the success of any nation is inextricably linked to quality education.
Nayab Iqbal
Karachi
Published in The Express Tribune, October 29th, 2020.
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