THE COVID PANDEMIC CREATES UNPRECEDENTED AND UNIQUE CHALLENGES
At the end of February 2020 , Pakistan reported its first cases of COVID-19 . As the disease quickly spread , the Pakistani government responded with increasingly stringent measures . In early March , more than 300,000 schools , colleges , and universities across the country , along with most businesses , were ordered closed . Millions of children were forced to discontinue their education , since online classes and other forms of remote learning were not an option .
The concerns of Pakistani parents and educators only deepened as the coronavirus-forced hiatus lingered on from weeks to months . The planned reopening of schools on July 15 appeared to be a light at the end of tunnel , only to be dimmed when the government announced a delay in re-openings to mid-September amid continued COVID outbreaks .
COVID-19 has badly affected our studies . I seek help from my elder siblings . If they cannot help , I contact my teacher who lives in our locality for guidance . We are poor and don ’ t have television or technology to learn online . We were very happy in school but now miss the activities badly . - Marzia , student Skardu , Pakistan
The disruption to these young lives cannot be overstated . School closures left Pakistani children and youth at risk not only of falling behind in their studies , but also of dropping out of school altogether . Evidence shows that the longer children are not in school , the more likely they will never go back . 1 This is especially the case for girls , who face unique barriers to education . For children stuck at home due to COVID , the lockdown and isolation from one another , as well as the lack of activity , intellectual stimulation , and social interaction , threatened to seriously harm students ’ mental health and wellbeing .
The closure of Pakistani schools has only added to a far larger educational crisis that predates the pandemic . There were an estimated 22.8 million children in Pakistan who were not in school before COVID hit . In fact , Pakistan has the second highest number of out-of-school children in the world . There are a number of reasons for this . First , there are not enough schools , especially for adolescent girls , who are often segregated from boys once they reach puberty in adherence with the country ' s conservative socio-cultural norms . Where there are schools , they are often too far away for children to travel there and back each day . And while government education is free of charge , the costs associated with going to school , such as uniforms , bookbags , books , supplies , and transportation , are often prohibitive for families who live on no more than $ 5.50 a day .
All of these challenges are particularly acute for children living in GB ' s remote , mountain communities . As a result , a third of primary school-aged children , half of middle school-aged children , and two-thirds of secondary school-aged children in GB do not go to school . The majority are girls .
CAI WORKS WITH ITS PARTNERS TO INNOVATE
Several weeks into the global pandemic , as it became clear that there was no immediate end in sight to the virus ’ s spread , CAI and its partners sprang into action . Recognizing that the lack of modern technology in the countries where we work meant that the new forms of remote learning being tested in more developed countries would not be an option , we explored innovative ways to respond .
In Pakistan , a breakthrough came in early April with the launch of the Muallim Radio Education program . (“ Muallim ” means “ teacher ” in Urdu .) Developed in collaboration with the provincial and national governments , the initial phase of the radio program targeted more than 200,000 children in GB at the first- , second- , and thirdgrade levels . The 40-minute programs covered subjects like Urdu , English , and mathematics . Some were designed to engage students through stories , poems , and games to promote health and hygiene , and to inspire students ’ thinking and curiosity . In total , 30 different episodes were broadcast twice a day through Radio Pakistan Gilgit-Baltistan and other FM radio stations . Teachers and parents were notified of the program and encouraged to ensure their students and children tuned in .
Based on the program ’ s success , CAI and its partner are developing a radio program for grades 4 and 5 , which will be aired starting in October . Subjects will include English , Urdu , mathematics , science , and social studies .
When schools were shut down due to the lockdown in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic , we suffered a lot . We were unable to continue our studies as the internet service here is very poor . The only opportunity we had was listening to the Muallim Radio Program , which helped us a lot in our learning .
- Wajiha , student Gilgit-Baltistan , Pakistan
While the CAI-supported radio program was initially designed to bridge the learning gap for students in GB while their schools remained closed , it ended up opening the door to education to a far broader audience of out-of-school children and adults who had been missing out on education altogether . The radio program will continue to broadcast to communities in remote parts of GB and will also be extended to all other provinces across Pakistan , reaching millions of children and adults .
FALL 2020 JOURNEY OF HOPE | 9