IT and education

Inequalities exist by regions, socioeconomic status, disability, religion and gender

The coronavirus pandemic has reinforced the adage more than ever that, the species which fail to adapt themselves to the natural conditions in which they have to live, and to change their habits as these conditions change, are doomed to perish. The alternative is to adapt conditions to our habits. Federal Minister of Education Shafqat Mahmood rightly observed recently that the pandemic had made Pakistan’s education sector to adopt IT to impart education to students at all levels. He was speaking at a ceremony in Islamabad at the launch of Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report 2020 on inclusion and education of children irrespective of economic status, gender and disability. The event called upon all stakeholders to focus on those left behind and make efforts for inclusion in education, especially after the resumption of normal activities post-Covid-19.

The report reminds of the continued disparity in education, particularly in ensuring access to quality education to all, which is the basis of inclusion, said a Unesco official. She described the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act 2018 and the inclusion of quotas for admission in the Disability Act 2014 as important measures for ensuring inclusive education. A DFID (the UK Department of International Development) official said the report came at a critical time where the pandemic had added to exclusion from education. She said since 2011, 10 million children, including 10 million girls, in primary schools had benefited from the UK’s support to Pakistan for educational reforms. Inequalities, however, exist by regions, socioeconomic status, disability, religion and gender. She said the report would act as a catalyst for decision-makers to realise the goal of education for all.

The report gives an in-depth analysis of factors that have led to exclusion of learners from low-income and other disadvantaged groups across the world, and suggests ways for the uplift of these people. For these people, schooling does not mean only lunch and recess.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 30^th, 2020.

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