Daily Times

Despite unambiguous announcement made by Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Tariq Banuri regarding commencement of online and virtual classes at the universities in Pakistan following their closure in a bid to halt the proliferation of coronavirus COVID-19, no university in Sindh has so far arranged and initiated online or virtual classes for their students on the patterns of Virtual University of Pakistan, Allama Iqbal Open University or Air University Islamabad.

According to a survey report, as many as 11 leading higher educational institutions including Mehran University of Engineering & Technology Jamshoro, University of Sindh Jamshoro, Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences Jamshoro, Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam, Quaid e Awam University of Engineering Sciences & Technology Nawabshah, Benazir University Nawabshah, Peoples Medical University Nawabshah, Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur, Benazir Bhutto Medical University Larkana, University of Veterinary & Animal husbandry Sakrand and University of Sufism & Modern Sciences Bhitshah are situated at Sindh excluding its capital city Karachi with tens of thousands of students but these institutions could not take any initiatives to start teaching their students online or through virtual classes.

The Universities in Sindh excluding Karachi have totally cancelled their classes and the students and their teachers seem to stay at their homes without teaching and learning process.

HEC chairman Tariq Banori in an interview on March 18, instant had said that no compromise was being made on studies despite the locked down situation in the country against coronavirus COVID-19. But the vice chancellors are engaged in passing the buck and they are looking at another to devise policy regarding commencement of online or virtual classes. However they are resorted to disobeying the instructions issued by HEC chairman in this regard.

When contacted, Dr. Tariq Banuri while talking to local journalists in Karachi reiterated that on orders of the federal government, universities across Pakistan had been closed as a precautionary measure to curb the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

This, however, doesn’t mean that a halt will be put on classes, said Banuri. “During these three weeks, teachers will give lectures online,” he said.

On the other hand, the spokesmen of these 11 universities situated at interior of Sindh, confirmed that no development regarding online classes had taken place so far.

They said that their teachers and students were enjoying holidays as the summer vacation (June & July) had been converted into the existing months till May 31, 2020.

They told that after May 31, the academic activities at the relevant universities will get underway and there was no culture of online or virtual classes at these universities.

The commencement of online and virtual classes can be much beneficial for the students who are limited at their homes without doing some positive activity of studies and making their home work.

Students of Mehran University Muhammad Ajmal Khan, Sharif Shaikh, Saba Parveen Solangi and Hussain Chandio told this reporter on telephone that for curbing the spread of coronavirus, the online and virtual classes at the universities could be commenced as it happened in the world and even at some varsities in Pakistan often for the rest of the semester.

A Sindh University faculty member Mansoor Soomro told this reporter that the sudden closure of university campuses across China and elsewhere had necessitated the virtual delivery of vast numbers of courses, on the same pattern; he said the universities in Sindh could start the online classes.

“Every student these days, has access to internet on their mobile phones, if the universities took the initiative to start the online and virtual classes, I am sure it will give benefit to the students who can learn while staying at their homes”, he said.

This is all the more surprising given most Universities in Sindh have a reputation for being reticent to change, especially in a short amount of time. The coronavirus has changed all that. As of Wednesday night, the number of coronavirus cases had risen to 413.

The vice chancellors of the universities in Sindh excluding Karachi have thrown the instruction of HEC chairman in trashcan regarding taking efforts to kick off online and virtual courses at their respective universities. But some universities in Karachi has implemented on the orders of HEC.

In the meantime, a professor of Department of Sindhi, University of Sindh Dr. Makhmor Bukhari started taking classes at his own on self-help basis. While talking to this reporter, he said that the first thing he did, was to make a WhatsApp groups wherein he added concerned students of different semesters and he started teaching through video and audio lectures. He said that the students were allowed to put up questions and he then replied them.

“We have fixed one an hour for every class students. Except lectures and question answer session, I also provide the relevant material to my students. I will complete my courses in due course of time”, he said.

It may be noted that if the vice chancellors in these universities devise a strategy and announce to commence online and virtual classes, the teachers can easily teach the students while sitting at their homes like Dr. Makhmor Bukhari.