The educational cost of COVID-19

As we continue to debate over the more immediate and visible fallout of the coronavirus in terms of the loss of human lives and the shrinking of our economy, we have not given enough thought to the disruption caused by this pandemic on the lives of our children and youth, particularly in terms of their learning and educational development.

Schools and universities across Pakistan have remained closed for nearly two months, and it is unclear whether circumstances will even permit re-opening in July, as announced recently. Millions of school and university going students in Pakistan are now at home – some struggling to adapt to distance-learning programmes and others, more worryingly, without access to the information and communication technology (ICT) necessary for such learning. 

Pakistan ranks 76th out of 100 countries on the Inclusive Internet Index that measures internet access in terms of availability, affordability and digital literacy. Only 36% of the population in Pakistan has access to broadband Internet, and a similar proportion to 3G/4G cellular services (Pakistan Telecommunication Authority). The statistics also demonstrate a worrying rural-urban divide: 14% of the rural population in Pakistan has access to the internet, and 38.3% to smartphones; in contrast, 35% of the urban population has access to the internet, and 73.3% to smartphones (ASER 2019).  The inequitable distribution of ICT services is a consequence of both weak state infrastructure and affordability for low-income families.

The distance-learning model of instruction, adopted by educational institutions during this pandemic presupposes inclusive and reliable access to the internet. Given the state of digital inequity in Pakistan, this does not hold true at all. It is then possible that mechanisms put in place to ensure continued educational development of all students during the pandemic, may end up exacerbating differentials in learning and attainment on account of problems of access. 

70 public sector universities do not have learning management systems in place to ensure effective instruction. It is important to consider how, in the event the lockdown is prolonged further, public schools will impart education given that a significant proportion do not have the necessary infrastructure.

Sahar Zareen Bandial

There exist issues of capacity on the supply-side as well. According to the HEC, 70 public sector universities do not have learning management systems in place to ensure effective instruction. It is important to consider how, in the event the lockdown is prolonged further, public schools will impart education given that a significant proportion do not have the necessary infrastructure. That in rural areas only 5.7% primary schools, 13.2% secondary schools and 33% high schools have access to the internet, is startling (ASER Report 2019). The ICT capacity also greatly varies amongst private schools.

Many university students have taken to social media to denounce online education, decrying the lack of or weak internet services in their areas. Soon after the government directed closure of universities,‘#WeRejectOnlineEducation’ was among the top trends on Twitter in Pakistan.

The government is cognisant of the impact of the digital divide on the effectiveness of distance learning. In April, the Ministry of Education launched the ‘Tele School’ television channel with the aim of reaching students in remote areas, broadcasting education content from grades 1 to 12. The ministry is also reportedly developing educational content for broadcast on radio. While the government’s initiatives may go some way in addressing concerns of access, various other factors may impact the effectiveness of distance-learning.

For students, particularly from low-income backgrounds, the home space may not be conducive to learning. Collective living with large joint families in cramped spaces is a common reality for many students, which does not provide the physical space and quiet required for learning. At the same time, the distance-learning paradigm, particularly for school-going students, shifts the burden of education on to parents, whose capacity and ability to utilize learning resources will greatly vary according to income background and education. The learning of a child whose parent-turned-teacher holds a masters degree in education will then be very different from one whose parents only completed his/her intermediate. The equalizing potential of education may then be lost in such circumstances.

Distance-learning may not be for everyone. As a university instructor, I strongly believe that inter-personal instruction and interaction between students and teachers is essential for student motivation, encouragement and learning. Keeping in mind issues of access, many instructors have turned to recorded lectures as a mode of instruction, unable to immediately gauge the effectiveness of their teaching or reach out to students in need of more help. Learning management systems, whatsapp groups and live zoom sessions have also not garnered the degree of student participation and responsiveness that many of us may have expected (or hoped for).

With schools and universities now closed till mid-July, it appears that we have no other alternative but to undertake efforts to make distance learning more accessible and effective. 

The government must undertake measures to bridge the digital divide, and where possible on a need-basis provide students with the technological devices – laptops, tablets and wifi devices – required for distance-learning. 

Television and radio education programmes put in place to provide access outside the reach of the internet should be buttressed with some sort of feedback loop to allow student-teacher interaction. Both public and private sector educational institutions must respond to differing learning capacities of students, by providing targeted education, based on educational and income background, possibly even for their parents or those charged with their instruction at home. 

In the absence of such supportive measures, the COVID pandemic may also result in a grave educational crisis of our times.

- Sahar Zareen Bandial is an Advocate of the High Courts and a member of the Adjunct Faculty at the Shaikh Ahmad Hassan School of Law, LUMs. She has a keen interest in gender issues and has worked extensively in the area of legislative drafting.