Impact of COVID-19 on Pakistan Education System: Issues and Challenges to Teachers and Students

You learn something valuable from all of the significant events and people, but you never touch your true potential until you challenge yourself to go beyond imposed limitations.

Roy T. Bennett

Introduction

Covid-19 is a viral disease caused by the coronavirus aroused in China in  December 2019. Symptoms of coronavirus includes fever, cough, chills, difficulty in breathing or shortness of breathing, sore throat and body aches. This new coronavirus (covid-19) also causes death. The spread rapidly from person to person and also using the material of coronavirus patients. The symptoms of coronavirus appears in people within 14 days. The spread of covid-19 all over the world rapidly, limited all things like market places, factories, education, internal and external transportation. This is only the way, we overcome the spread of covid-19 and safe the human lives. Modern technology is playing an important role to continue these such activities which may be able with the connection of people from home. This is very much important for the educational activities to be continued smoothly. 

Impacts of COVID-19 on Education System

The education system of underdeveloped and developed countries is highly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. As the spread of COVID-19 in all over the world are restricted everyone at home to avoid crowd every place. In these pandemic days government and teachers need to plan effective educational phases with the help of digital class delivery. There is no better way of delivering education safe and helpful for society to overcome these pandemic issues fleetly. And we may not stop these such activities in these days.

Role of Government to support education system

The role of government is very much important that supports and provides better arrangements for delivering education online. The Government of Pakistan has decided to suspend regular activities of educational institutions across the country, keep the students safe at home and continue their education online as they are instructed.

To maintain the digitize education, Pakistan needs to increase its internet availability everywhere. As the online education has been started a huge number of students are facing the internet acceptability and also lack of online education culture. The annual report by the economist intelligence unit had written Pakistan at 76th out of 100 countries for affordability, availability, and people’s ability to use the web. Lack of internet access and digital education culture, suddenly students and teachers disconnected and does not understand properly. The education system of Pakistan must focus on modernizing the education system of digital technology.

Teachers are more worried about digital classes regularly due to insufficient guidelines available. Government and HEC have been ordered to take online classes. Teachers and students started to manage the requirements of online classes, like, laptops, smartphones, internet accessibility, and quite place. Many of students do not have these tools and also in these days they are unable to buy. Those were sharing smarttools each other now they don’t have to do this.

Issues and challenges faced by teachers in COVID-19 

As COVID-19 suspended educational activities, tuition centers are also closed and teacher those were directly and indirectly connected with centers affected badly. Most of private and government teachers are connected facing trouble. Many private schools are unable to pay salaries to their staff because of student fees collections. 

Pre-primary and primary teachers are worried about their students, that they will forget what had been taught them before the COVID-19 pandemic. And there massage to parents keep your children with studies. 

Issues and challenges faced by students in COVID-19 

It is fact, not every student is being financially supported by family, they pay educational fees and also support the family. A huge number of students are doing part-time jobs with their educational busy routine. Covid-19 badly impacts on every aspect of life as students are facing educationally, financially, and mentally distracted. All the industrial and educational activities suspended till control over COVID-19 pandemic for the sack of human safety. Students who were happily connected with jobs and education, now only focusing on how can he/she can support their families, this issue distracted studies of these students. Students are deaccelerated in new as well as previous learnings. As at some stages online classes have been started, students are worried about the revision of previously completed and fast completing instructions of courses that are distributed in the COVID-19 pandemic. Girls students are facing badly to attend online classes continuously because of home chores.

Impacts of COVID-19 on Teachers and students mental health 

Implementation of lockdown, all the social gatherings, like class gatherings, friends gatherings, and family gatherings are restricted that impacts on the mental health of teachers and students. And they are worried about the poor financial conditions of family in these situations. 

Interaction of teachers and students at online classes is not easy and helpful it seems. Children of many teachers are also with them in lockdown and they may unknowingly distract them and teachers may not pay more attention to students activities and progress. It is also a weak point of online classes and a negative point for students to understand things properly, this also impacts on mental thinking of students for learning.

Conclusion

Covid-19 became challenging disease all over the world that how can we minimize the spread of disease. There is no proper treatment and vaccination has been discovered. This is a challenging task to stop this viral disease and parallel continue our activities.

This lockdown strategy is helpful to stop the spread of COVID-19  but we have to work smart and not to stop other activities, like education and many others which can be done from home through online meetings. We were and we are facing more challenges but we have to work effectively with the instructions of Government and HEC for educational and social activities. Till to a safe environment, stay at home, stay safe and continue the educational activities.