By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood has said that government’s landmark initiative of launching Teleschool has got tremendous response across the country. He said that millions of children were getting quality education while sitting at homes. This was result of the efforts of Education Ministry and other concerned departments, he added.
Shafqat Mahmood while talking to APP on Monday also stressed upon teachers and students to take benefit from the online learning opportunity productively during the ongoing lockdown situation prevailing in the country. “It was mandatory to work out new methods of imparting education to students by connecting them with teachers under this extraordinary situation,†he said.
Emphasizing upon the importance of online classes, he said that with the help of this platform, the students could revise their lessons, practice academic exercises, find additional materials on difficult topics as well as get immediate feedback from their teachers.
The teachers had been advised to offer their services to help pupils catch up during the lockdown period with reliable internet connectivity, he mentioned. It was a great initiative of running a literacy programme on television to educate the students at home, he added.
Higher Education Commission (HEC), he said, was also making efforts to arrange online classes in universities but this plan yet could not succeeded due to technical issues and unavailability of the internet in some parts of the country.
PTV has great outreach and “we can be connected with maximum number of students all over the country†, he said, adding that they were also working to improve the connectivity issues.
However, Parliamentary Secretary for Federal Education and Professional Training Wajiha Akram told APP that the government was taking several initiatives to bring education at the doorsteps of the students, especially in the rural and far-flung areas during this current coronavirus prevailing situation.
Educational institutions were closed but government will not compromise on students’ education, she said adding that ‘Teleschool project’ was providing a vital opportunity to student to learn while staying at homes. Wajiha said the online education was the only sources of continuing education during the coronavirus, adding this practice was also being adopted in many parts of the world.
The government was committed to using all resources to improve the ‘Teleschool’ project in coming days with providing further study contents. The believed that the channel would also benefit the children living in far-flung areas and adults who were illiterate.
To a question, she said, “We will also ensure to improve the internet services and its connectivity in all those areas that do not have services and modern technological systems†. She said that Teleschool and online classes for universities was a brilliant concept and suggested that it would continue even after the opening of schools as it would help children residing in rural areas learn.
Education cannot be stopped as it was a fundamental right of people, she added. The entire world was considering to provide education through online measures, but Pakistan has joined the leading nations those are using virtual means for imparting eduction of its students, she said.
