Daily Times

In view of closure of all public and private schools across the province due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sindh Education & Literacy Department (SELD) has announced online classes for students of public schools.

As education minister had already said, no final decision had been made yet on the reopening of schools in the province as COVID-19 cases continued to rise.

Earlier a notification was issued by SELD which stated that the department in a tripartite collaboration with UNICEF and Microsoft has established an online digital classroom platform for 6 to 12 graders.

As per notification IT experts have been hired to conduct the online classes as the secretary education issued directives for all district directors to provide data of teachers and students by June 17.

While talking about online education in Sindh people showed their concerns as it is not as easy as it is being taken.

According to official figures Forty-two million children are enrolled in government schools.

Most of the children who are studying in government schools, for their parents it has been difficult to provide them two time meal so how they can afford laptop, android cell-phone and internet facility.

Talking to Daily Times a parent bizarrely said that “What are you talking about?” Online education is the only way to make money, they have created a plan for big corruption, he uttered.

“Money will be made in the name of educating online, for making software, for training and name of giving to cellular companies”, he added.

He recalled that former Education minister had already admitted in Sindh cabinet meeting that 90 percent of teachers could only teach arts subjects so how can you anticipate them to teach with latest gadgets.

In Sindh schools where government could not provide facilities such as toilets, boundary walls, electricity, and drinking water etc, now being expected to educate our children with latest technology, he criticized.

Despite these facts Sindh Education & Literacy Department (SELD) is going to conduct online classes for students.

According to Education department a core group of 75 master trainers has been trained to conduct online large-scale training of teachers for virtual classrooms and other teachers will be trained as per requirements.

Although before this department had trained 40,000 teachers, no bona fide enhancement were pragmatic in their teaching, as they were abortive to result in any change in schooling.

A parent said that once Secondary school teachers were protesting at Karachi Press Club and a reporter asked to a teacher spelling of “Elementary” that teacher was not able to spell that word and Sindh government is willing to train them.

On other hand education experts also show their concern that on line education is not feasible to cater to all we do not have such organism for distance learning now adding that we need proper virtual education facilities as we are partially equipped. Many teachers are not even trained so it may take long time to be implemented.

While government officials had point of view that it seems difficult but anyhow we have to manage it because we don’t know how long this pandemic will go on.