EdTech: An overview of opportunities in Pakistan during Covid-19

How successful has the role of EdTech been in providing education opportunities to children at primary and secondary levels during COVID-19 in Lahore?

Problem Statement: Every student at these levels has equal, secure, uninterrupted access to education technology which keeps them on track with their education with as high a quality of education as possible

Background

Pakistan has an intense problem of out-of-school children, particularly at the primary level. Statistically, the overall dropout rate for both boys and girls is 50%. (Khan et. al., 2011) Apart from that, nearly 1 out of 3 girls in Pakistan has never even been to school. (Ejaz et al., 2023) This issue was further aggravated during COVID-19, and according to a Gallup survey, during the early days of the pandemic, as many as 27% of the families weren’t planning on letting their children continue their education after the lockdown was lifted. (Geven and Hasan, 2020) Consequently, with parents pulling their children out of school left and right – there was the question of what could be done to allow continued access to education during the pandemic.

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One solution that surfaced to address this issue was EdTech, Education Technology. EdTech, as the name suggests, is the usage of technology and its conjoined digital mediums to impart education and knowledge. It has been used widely in education at all levels, primary, secondary, and tertiary. (Susanto et. al., 2022) Conjoined to that is the term “E-learning” which has been around for more than two decades. (Weller, 2018) It essentially refers to learning materials online, such as online courses, for example, MIT’s OpenCourseWare project. (Downes, 2005) Expanding upon that concept, COVID-19’s descent upon the world allowed for EdTech to be tested to its limits, letting the world adopt the use of technology and the internet to conduct school classes at all levels, including primary and secondary schools, giving rise to a dramatic popularization of the system within just two years. All of a sudden, 1.5 billion students and 63 million teachers around the globe switch from in-person academic practices to EdTech. (Rehman et. al., 2021)

A lot of literature exists on the salient features of EdTech and its positive effects. It’s considered to be a unique network of teaching and learning as a result of the digital transformation of the education system. (Valverde-Berrocoso and Fernández-Sánchez, 2020) Convenience aside, its novelty is also regarded as something positive, being cited as “new” and “interesting” by some students. (Shahzad et al., 2020)

During COVID-19, Pakistan as well, did not stay behind in trying to utilize its more salient features. However, for a developing country like Pakistan, it came with its own sets of challenges, keeping in mind the lack of technology infrastructure, something in dire need of being addressed.

As of 2019, in Pakistan, only 36.86% of the population had access to broadband internet. (Rehman, et. al., 2021) Moreover, despite the launch of 3G and 4G in the past decades, a huge chunk of Pakistan still suffers from internet deprivation. (DailyTimes.pk and Jatoi, 2022)

During COVID-19, the government was forced to call for a lockdown for all schools. Throughout this unprecedented situation, schools had to look for alternative means of educating their students remotely, giving rise to EdTech in Pakistan. (World Bank, 2023) There was the usage of video communication apps to teach remotely, educational applications, websites, and Learning Management Systems (LMS) to impart education. (Jahangir, 2020) The more tech-savvy solutions such as Zoom, LMS, and MS Teams were, however, restricted to private schools only, leaving a gap in education for public school students.

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To address the problem in public schools, the government tried a myriad of solutions which involved collaborating with leading EdTech providers, such as the Sabaq Foundation website, which hosts thousands of educational videos for school level, Knowledge Platform and Taleemabad. (Ejaz et al., 2023) In partnership with these companies, it launched its TeleSchool Initiative, a national TV channel that would broadcast lectures for all grades for one hour each day of curriculum for grades 1 to 12. (Ejaz et al., 2023) Moreover, a learning app for grades kindergarten to five by the Sindh Government was also developed – but attached to this was a whole slew of challenges, not even reaching 50% of the student population in the province. (Baig, 2020)

For starters, with the TV channel, students always had to wait their turn and an insufficient amount of academic material was being covered. (Warraich, 2020) Moreover, it cannot cover the depth, rigor, and intensity demanded by matriculation and FSc. exams. The Sindh Government’s app, as well, did not address half of the student population – those beyond class 5. (Baig, 2020) Either way, to cover all of their educational needs, they still had to access the websites and apps of the companies the government collaborated with. (Warraich, 2020) This was a problem for those who did not have access to TV or the internet, further marginalizing an already-marginalized segment of society. (Warraich, 2020)

One thing of note is that these were all to address lockdowns in public schools. Higher-end private schools often had the resources to maintain direct communication and a structured school day remotely with their students, while low-cost private schools made use of basic apps like YouTube and WhatsApp. For a country with deep inequalities, this was another view of glaring disparity.

Despite that, there were certain problems that can be considered shared by students of both public and private schools. One is adapting to learning via technology – having to sit in front of a screen for prolonged durations, figuring out the user interface, and trying to cultivate an unobstructed environment conducive to learning, which can be particularly difficult inside a bustling house. Furthermore, poor internet connections, lack of interaction with peers and teachers, and unavailability of the classroom environment left a deep psychological toll. (Adnan and Anwar, 2020) However, a privately educated child would adapt far quicker than a government school student simply due to the quality of education they’ve received their entire lives.

All of this current debate has disregarded another striking problem that Pakistan has – electricity. (Grainger & Zhang, 2019) While TV does not require internet, it does require electricity.

Moreover, it’s a luxury that some lower-income households do not have. Nationally, 74% of the people own a TV in Pakistan. (Baloch, 2020) However, in rural areas, only 60% of the people have access to TV and very limited overall access to the Internet. (Warraich, 2020) The app as well makes it necessary to have a phone or tablet and a reliable internet connection which is difficult in more remote areas and these devices are often very expensive, adding an additional cost to the parents. (Warraich, 2020)

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Methodology

This study follows a post-positivist design, bearing in mind that objectivity can also be influenced by biases. It’s impossible for these biases to be eliminated in my capacity as a researcher, however, I recognize them and, hence, work with them in view.

Six semi-structured interviews were conducted with three mothers and three students. Two of the girls were grade 5th students during COVID-19 while one was in grade 9th. The interviewees were chosen through purposive sampling.

Two of the girls were from low-cost private schools (5th grader, 9th grader), while one was from a public school (5th grader). The reasons for choosing low-cost private schools along with public schools were that all of the participants involved come from very similar socio-economic backgrounds (children of drivers; domestic workers) and the methods employed by these schools were helpful in formulating alternative policy options for public schools.

Apart from that, consultation of gray literature and academic articles was done when doing a review of the literature.

Findings

As mentioned above, 2 of the girls during COVID were in 5th grade (primary school) while one was in 9th grade (secondary school). According to the public school student, there was absolutely no usage of technology on any level at all. They would go to school only twice a week and strict SOPs were implemented. They would go wash their hands at intervals and the teachers were clad in masks and gloves. Furthermore, seats were spaced far apart and any homework done on copies would have to be left on the desk, without directly handing it to the teacher. The teacher would collect it herself. According to the two mothers interviewed, the overall studying done was a lot lesser as compared to regular times. She said, and I quote, “Itni khass parhai nahin hoti thi” – not a lot of studying/teaching was done.

In the low-cost private schools, there was usage of WhatsApp and YouTube. According to the 9th grade interviewee, they would go to school every other week, with one week it being online, and the other on campus. Grades 1 to 5 would come to campus one week, then the next week they’d be home while grades 5 to 10 would come that week. This process continued till restrictions got relaxed.

To continue their studies uninterrupted from home, teachers would form WhatsApp groups and send pictures of questions along with a YouTube video link; students would work and do homework according to that. At the end of the school year, they would be assessed based on what they had learned over the year and if they felt any question was “out of syllabus” they would inform the teachers and it would be changed.

Another challenge faced by these students was that of a quiet place to study at home. Since these families come from a low socio-economic background, oftentimes it would be too many people crammed into one house (joint families). Consequently, the children would never be able to absorb material as well as they used to during physical classes and whatever devices they had, had to be shared.

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Available Policy Options in an Ideal Scenario (Fishbone Diagram)

• Government provides laptops, internet devices, course materials for two years to each and every student from grades 1 to 10 (matric)
• The government sends agents to visit each house with children of this age bracket and assesses the appropriate use of these devices during class hours while practicing safe social distancing
• The government broadcasts alternative TV channels for all grades separately and mandatory attendance is required via some digital means to ensure attendance
• Measures are put in place for home-based regular tests, assignments and assessments with multiple cameras in different angles to prevent cheating and ensure that the student is working fairly
• The government trains every available teacher and student in the maximum use of EdTech
• Penalties for absentees, both students and teachers
• At the end of each term, standardized tests by taken for all grades to evaluate progress
• Making of applications containing all material for all targeted grades, along with supplementary readings and options to contact instructors at all hours, bearing in mind that some students pull all-nighters to study; application would contain daily check-in/attendance feature with a reward-based system for motivation

Initial Feasible Policy Options

• Broadcasting of separate channels for all grades – this option is much cheaper than provision of laptops and internet devices for all students and teachers, and also takes into account the urgency of matriculation exams
• Standardized tests at the end of each term for both public and private schools to evaluate current progress – this would only require them to meet in-person once a term during the lockdown period and social distancing can be done easily enough; additional space would be required, however
• Making of a functional application with material for all grades, however, teacher availability would only be at certain hours

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Options Analysis

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Zero policy option:

The government does nothing and things continue as they are, however, in this scenario it would only cause harm since education is a determinant of one’s future

Antecedents and Consequences

Distance learning has existed for years now, with universities like Allama Iqbal Open University and Virtual University not only using technology to impart lectures but also mail/correspondence to send study materials back and forth. (Baggaley and Belawati, 2007) Such a model can be applied to a school level as well.

Revised Policy Options after Interviews

• Phone/internet-based learning more accessible and easier as compared to TV broadcasting; each household had at least one, if not multiple, mobile devices
• Need of a better technology infrastructure; despite having access to internet, at times signals got lost (evidenced by my phone conversations) if they were using mobile data
• Mobile applications with videos (evidence: children proficiency with YouTube and WhatsApp) along with standardized testing (exams conducted as regular on campus according to respondents)

Conclusion and The Way Forward

Can EdTech become a permanent part of education in a healthy, productive and positive manner post-COVID? Before it was really a thing, the concept of Distance Education (DE) was not unheard of. Pakistan’s Allama Iqbal Open University and Virtual University engage in distance learning, using mail to send and receive materials along with using technology to impart lessons which is essentially EdTech. Policy has to be made such that it can not only be there for use in case another pandemic arrives, but also so it can thrive outside of these situations as well. They not only offer an opportunity to educate those who are out of school but also new and innovative methods of learning. Moreover, education would become more globalized, allowing for remote interaction between foreign institutes which would add enrichment and diversity to the students’ As a result, while EdTech has its fair share of problems, it offers a lot of solutions and innovations as well.

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This article has been contributed by Mahin Ahmed. She is a student of MS Business and Public Policy at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). Through her education, she hopes to be able to create a positive social impact in the lives of her fellow countrymen. Her hobbies include reading, writing, and occasionally, baking. She can be reached at @mahiiin97 on Twitter.

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