Marwah Mumtaz
Public education today is facing one of the gravest crises in its history. COVID-19 has prompted unscheduled closure of School all over the world. The education department has been gravely affected by COVID-19 and has already had and will continue to have severed effects on education including primary, secondary, universities and all levels. This is a difficult time but we should face it wisely and as a team, not by going against each other. A few days ago, a conference took place for our teachers in which they spoke about reopening schools. Our Government and a percentage of our public is not completely satisfied about reopening schools, colleges, universities or infect any educational institute. We students have discussed and debated thoroughly about this topic. We have something to suggest which will be beneficial for the Government, education department and students. Instead, we should start online education. From Year 1 onwards all classes until Universities. Should make a move to online learning. We should now go online during normal school hours with a live stream from the teacher in charge. There are number of suitable applications in the market but in particularly favorite across the west is zoom. I have personal experience with Zoom & I’ve found it to be interactive, easy to use and can accommodate a whole class between 8:00- 1:45 pm. Yes there will be many initial complications to face but gradually everything will fall into place. Inshaallah we will soon be able to completely fight particularly against negative effects of COVID-19.Nursery and reception can go to school as it’s hard to do online schooling with them. We at the same time need fewer students to minimize contact and maintain some level of social distance. I propose each class should attend school 3 days per week i.e 3 days per week nursery & 3 days per week reception. In this way students will be protected, education will not be disturbed and the department will not face any kind of loss. Finally, we note that we will need the support & help of the Government awithout them. We know that providing us with facilities is tough but this will aid our countries development. We will reduce the infection rate and the number of COVID-19 cases helping us to return to normal life sooner. The initial startup cost of online school can be offset against the savings from treatment as there will be fewer cases of COVID-19 and consequently less people requiring treatments. As a result of the schooling measures that I proposed less ventilators and equipment’s are required as well as less medical staff. We require an investment from the Govt. to supply 1. Devices such as IPods, phones, laptops etc. 2. Network infrastructure. In this way, we will be able to control our COVID-19 cases by eliminating social contact and maintaining social distance. Even one life saved as a result of these measures for me is a success. We need to take this matter very seriously and react with urgency. It’s vital to take this step as it’s about the lives and careers of our students and teachers. We hope it will be taken seriously these measures have been implemented by countries across the world which shows that it’s not impossible. Pakistan Should follow the example set by other countries and ensure that online learning is available to all who require it in this beautiful country. s it’s not possible without them.
