The University of Health Sciences (UHS), on Thursday, announced that it would provide free Android tabs to deserving students of public sector medical and dental colleges for digital learning during Covid-19.
As schools and universities across the world remain deserted due to the spread of Coronavirus, providing and seeking education has become a major challenge. As the first world moves on to online education to minimize loss of learning, education has become a key concern for countries like Pakistan, who lack both the infrastructure and expertise to impart learning online.
The Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training (MoFEPT) Shafqat Mahmood on Thursday said that the government was considering launching a Radio Education program to magnify its distance learning project across the country.
One of the most dominant and widespread examples of the radio education program is known as the “Farm Radio Forum.” It was started in Canada in 1941 and served as a model which was adopted subsequently in a number of developing countries.
Since then, Radio has been used extensively as an educational medium in developing countries. Published reports confirm that it has supported educational programs in a wide range of subject areas and in many different countries.
While speaking to a private news channel Shafqat stated that the federal government wanted to strengthen the existing Tele-education system by including a feedback mechanism to facilitate the students. The system for online education for the higher classes would also be improved with the passage of time, the minister commented.
Earlier, the government had launched a Tele-School program across Pakistan to impart education to students amid the lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Answering a question, the education minister said the National Coordination Committee (NCC) would take the final decision in regards to the reopening of educational institutions after Prime Minister Imran Khan’s approval.
“I think it is not possible to open school now, pandemic would likely hit its peak in May as the experts have predicted so,” he added.
Related: PM To Launch Tele-school Today
The Punjab Government has launched Taleem Ghar Application to make localized and engaging multimedia lessons available online for public school students of classes one to eight, while matric and intermediate lectures will be available soon.
This was informed in a meeting chaired by Chairman Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) Azfar Manzoor. Director General Waqar Qureshi, Director Kashif Farooq and others were also part of the meeting.
Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) Chairman Azfar Manzoor said that the Taleem Ghar initiative aims to encourage remote learning among students as it is also available on local cable Television and its website. Taleem Ghar’s project will be beneficial for the students in the prevailing situation of the Corona virus pandemic, he added.
The Taleem Ghar project is a collaboration between the School Education Department (SED) of the Government of Punjab, its Program Monitoring and Implementation Unit (PMIU), and the Punjab IT Board (PITB). The Science and Mathematics lectures are conducted through 8 animated teachers from Monday to Thursday on local Cable TV while these are now accessible 24/7 online via an android app and the project’s website with a slogan of “Everyone is welcome to visit, explore and learn!”.
Related: PITB To Digitize Record of Federal Education Institutions
Punjab Governor and UET Lahore Chancellor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar on Tuesday inaugurated the Punjab Mental Health Helpline that would provide online counselling to people suffering from depression, anxiety or other mental health issues across Pakistan due to coronavirus outbreak and subsequent lock-down.
The University of Agriculture Faisalabad has established a relief fund for needy people under the current situation of Corona Virus.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has rejected a petition by Private Schools Association’s (PSA) that sought a stay order against the government’s decision to allow 20% discount in fees for students during the lock-down months of April and May.
Teleschool to help locked-down students minimize loss of learning amid coronavirus pandemic
Prime Minister Imran Khan will inaugurate the first ever teleschool in the country that has been developed to impart education to students in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid visited the 200-bed field hospital established at the Kala Shah Kaku (KSK) Campus of the Government College University (GCU) Lahore for Coronavirus patients.