Blessings often come in disguise. Although we may not appreciate them at first, we learn to do so over time. Right now, the world is going through a very tough situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Everyone suffered, but we all learnt a lesson. We, as human beings, learnt how to help and accommodate one another. Prevailing circumstances also urged us to shift education from a physical classroom to a web class.
Emerging technology has had a great impact on education. Developed countries adopted the teaching pattern quickly. This setup facilitated the students in the developed countries but on the other hand developing and underdeveloped countries were not ready for such a big revolution. Students from those countries suffered a lot. It directly impacted their mental health.
Although the adoption of technology in Pakistan has increased in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, public schools have not yet implemented a successful model for digital learning within schools. This is the problem that SABAQ Pakistan intends to attempt to address.
Public schools in Sindh are increasingly hiring test qualified young and enthusiastic teachers who are active in their communities as well as on social media. These teachers can be employed as champions of change to advocate digital learning in the Sindh government’s network of public schools. They can be made responsible for mobilizing the community and School Management Committees (SMCs) for the adoption of technology during COVID-19 school closures and delivering tablet-based education in schools through the SELD App after classes resume during the pandemic.
SABAQ Pakistan partnered with the government of Sindh to select 80 to 100 public schools from SELD’s network of schools in three to four districts like Badin, Tando Muhammad Khan, & Tando Allahyar. These schools were either only girl schools or schools that had a high proportion of girl students. Another criterion for the selection of a school was that it should have at least test qualified teachers.
In these schools, IBA, NTS or Sindh University test qualified teachers will be provided with tablets that will have the SELD App installed to teach students. These teachers are trained in the use of technology for teaching and supported in their community mobilization efforts. The teachers will then act as agents of change, advocating the use of technology for learning and convincing School Management Committees and the community as a whole of the benefits of technology in learning.
A vital component of this project is the positive storytelling on social media and in the community regarding the undertaking. This will serve as a tool for community mobilization and highlight the success stories and learnings garnered from the project to serve as an example for future projects.
The aim of the project is to create a successful model for the implementation of technology in public schools by empowering teachers to become champions of change, mobilizing SMCs to become supporters of change, and ultimately lead to the creation of a sustainable model for implementing technology in Sindh’s public schools.
Dr. Ghazala Khan
PhD. Scholar (Putra Business School, Malaysia)
Entrepreneurship Expert
Consultant & Diplomatic Fellow Federation of International Gender and Human Rights USA
Advisor- World Youth Summit
Ambassador- Common Wealth Entrepreneurs Club
Ambassador- Institute of Peace and Development (INSPAD)
Global Goodwill Ambassador (GGA-USA)
Ambassador Child Abuse Prevention Campaign (My body is my body-UK)
