KARACHI:
The first case of Covid-19 in Pakistan surfaced in February last year. But due to a lack of awareness and the leniency of the authorities over closing borders with Iran, the lethal virus spread across the country rather quickly. In about a year’s time, the virus has had a widespread impact in the country. As a result, all educational institutions in the country, including schools, colleges and universities have had to shift to online classes.
It has been more than a year since the students have not seen their classrooms. Online classes have only been running by fits and starts because of a host of issues, including weak internet signals in many remote areas of the country as well as the inability of a big percentage of students to afford the required tech gadgets. Besides, many teachers are also not well-versed with modern technology. Many of my classmates at Mardan’s Abdul Wali Khan University have not only missed online classes but have failed to give their online examinations as well. Some were unable to submit their answer papers due to internet connectivity issues.
Due to mismanagement, conducting online classes do not seem to be an effective solution. Therefore, face to face classes should start forthwith. I understand very well that life is much more important. But how long will we wait for things to normalise? I urge the relevant ministry to come up with a solution as early as possible.
Mansoor Ahmad
Mardan
Published in The Express Tribune, March 21st, 2021.
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