Varsities told to engage students in research

IUCPSS coordinator says universities should explore solutions

ISLAMABAD: Universities' have been urged to engage students apart from working collectively to share knowledge and to collaborate in research activities to combat the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

This was stated by the Inter-University Consortium for Promotion of Social Sciences National Coordinator Murtaza Noor on Tuesday.

Noor said that the spread of Covid-19 has massively impacted universities around the world, especially in Pakistan.

As the situation continues to change rapidly due to the pandemic, Noor said the top priority of universities must be the health, safety and well-being of students.

He added that Covid-19 has become a catalyst for educational institutions across the world to search for innovative solutions in a relatively short time. Universities, he said, were planning for several contingency scenarios and taking decisive, informed action to limit the spread of the virus while ensuring the continuity of teaching and research.

Institutions of higher education have transmitted courses to alternative means of delivery, making innovative use of technology and other ingenious strategies to carry out teaching and learning activities, he mentioned.

The educationist said everyone is familiar with terms such as ‘social distancing’ and ‘self-isolation’ and this is part of individual and collective efforts to slow and limit the spread of Covid-19.

Noor feared that the pandemic was expected to have enormous consequences and will also have a devastating impact on global education. The role of university students was also vital in such crisis, he said.

He underlined the need for educating the students and young people to understand basic, age-appropriate information about coronavirus including its symptoms, complications, and how it is transmitted.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 22^nd, 2020.