LAHORE:
According to a research conducted by the University of Oxford, school closures in the last year have led to a tremendous learning loss, with primary-age school students making virtually no progress studying at home. A similar research was conducted in the Netherlands where schools had closed down for about eight weeks. From broadband access to housing and parental support, conditions in the Dutch system outscored most of the countries in the world. Even though the students there had one of the best virtual learning experiences, they lost on average 20% to 50% of expected progress.
In Pakistan, the loss of learning is definitely severer. The consequences are certainly much graver too since schools had been closed for a longer period of time. The government failed to take the required steps and as a result millions of children across the country have used up their time, energy and resources in order to cope with the deplorable education system. Furthermore, the media reported that a record number of children and youth are not attending school because of closures mandated by governments in an attempt to slow the spread of Covid-19. The blame in fact rests with the government that has not focused on developing the education sector. The relevant authorities should now take momentous steps to bridge this gap of learning by any means necessary.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 19th, 2021.
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