Teleschool app

Officials must ponder over the outcome of such initiatives and who the beneficiaries

Education remains a complex topic for a country like Pakistan where there is a significant gap in capacity and learning between different social groups. To make matters worse, there are three different forms of education that have three completely different learning outcomes, further exacerbating the intellectual gap. Then there is the problem of exorbitant tuition fee amid precarious economic conditions that has made quality education a privilege only a few can afford.

The unprecedented Covid-19 crisis further compounded the dilemma. Schools were increasingly being shut down and a transition was being made towards online learning. This changed the educational landscape for good as schools now look to equip themselves with essential distance-learning tools. In order to aid the process, the Ministry of Federal Education has launched the Teleschool mobile application to further revolutionise online learning and provide free education to students of all grades. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who was present during the time of the inauguration, stressed on the need for teacher training and promised 100,000 laptops for high achievers across the country. In times of high-inflation and economic instability, this is a great initiative that will help students learn without financial burdens. However, higher educational institutions require some form of a degree or certificate and merely learning from the app will not provide a way forward. After testing this application, the Ministry of Federal Education can look to further develop this by introducing online certifications following the completion of courses and study programmes. This will give students something tangible to show for.

While this is a step in the right direction and such positive approaches are desperately needed, officials must also realise the drawbacks that accompany such initiatives particularly with regard to the huge learning gap between urban and rural students. Officials must ponder over the outcome and who the beneficiaries are, before attempting to further develop it.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 23^rd, 2023.

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