Karl Marx is of the view that if there prevailed no equal field for individuals to compete, then competition is myth. Therefore, for materializing real competition, it is rudimentary to provide leveled field for competitors. Recently, there prevails no equal grounds for students regarding online classes and e-learning, therefore competition among students is not less than fraud.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, each fabric of the society got affected, education is obviously not an exception. To overcome this loss, Higher Education Commission (HEC) directed universities to launch online classes and e-learning for graduate students. This strategy is though last option, but seems to be more face-saving than bringing real changes in the future prospect of students.
The materialization of e-learning and online classes without the provision of necessities regarding online teaching system is negation of the former. Ensuring equal facilities to all the students is the fundamental duty of HEC and authorities concerned with top echelon decision making. The discriminatory policy on the part of HEC to suggest students to freeze the semester, if they could not afford the online classes, will intensify deprivation in already marginalized section of society.
The availability of internet should have been surveyed before launching online schooling system. To substantiate it patently, there are almost five districts in Balochistan that is deprived of the internet facility. Same is the case with Ex-Fata. Gilgat Baltistan and rural Sindh are not much different. Even in some urbanized centers internet is not working properly. This poor quality of internet service create disturbance in the form of voice interruption during lectures in online classes.
It is not secret that students are confronting problems even in their traditional mechanism of teachings practiced in universities. Numbers of students don’t get the teacher, standing before them on dice, because of social, cultural, structural and language barriers. The distanced learning, internet interruption, camera-consciousness on the part of both teacher and students has galvanized the problems related to knowledge gaining. If the students couldn’t get knowledge, then the only formality ‘that semester is on’ is non-scientific logic in era of science. Again, the focus of the online classes should be the content of transmission of knowledge to the concerned students.
Apart from students, even possible sections of university professors are non-technical in running the e-system. At the pace of pandemic, universities were closed in March and online classes have been started in June. So, this gap of two and half months could have been used for training sessions of teachers and students to have improved the quality of teaching. HEC didn’t assisted teachers and students with this technical aspect of complexity.
Importantly, in online classes some of the disciplines are easy to be taught like that of social sciences. In contrast to this, subjects like statistics, mathematics, electronics, geophysics, physics and other natural sciences are difficult to be taught. This will surely affect the understanding intensity of students attached with the fields of natural sciences.
In online classes, it is beyond teacher’s capacity to have control over the class and the psyche of the students. Moreover, the removal of students from class by other students and muting the mike of the teachers are common issues going on in online classes. These disturbances which seem minor badly affect teacher’s concentration during class.
The classes that are ‘teacher-centered’ can prove well in e-learning system. In case of ‘teacher-student centered’ classes, the online classes don’t prove so fruitful. The reason behind this is that academic debate can’t be commenced. Moreover, the lack of familiarity with e-learning transforms the academic discussion into the state of shrill. This will neither benefit teacher not students.
Since last two weeks, students are on roads and protesting against online classes in different parts of the country. They are major stakeholders and must be addressed. The logic behind the closure of universities and educational institutions is to shun students from COVID-19 pandemic. So when students are on road, then do they not get affected?
Bringing into account the above mentioned reasons, the e-learning and online classes are never helping students in the context of gaining knowledge. In such state of affairs, the HEC and regulatory institutions needs to own the major liability and brunt. The students must be relieved to the possible extent.
In a nut shell, Higher Education Commission has only addressed the managerial aspect of issues but skipped the issues lied on ground level regarding the materialization of her plans. The culmination of success can be achieved when ground realities are addressed too. Therefore, it is high time for HEC to revisit her policies and own the major portion of liability and brunt. In this state of Coronavirus and panic, the students should not be burdened with more panic.
