Online Education and Students of Balochistan

Drousham Baloch 

Online classes is a kind of education where students use their gadgets and digital access to complete their educational activities within their homes. Many online graduation, course programmes, and even online jobs are conducted using digital technologies.

Technology has changed the way people communicate, shop, socialise, do business and think about knowledge and distance learning which is transforming traditional classrooms into digital ones.

E-learning was created to facilitate people to get information and knowledge of every type when they want that, so it get popularity very fast.

In this pandemic situation of COVID19, the students of schools, colleges and Universities were at high risk too. On the basis of which all the educational sectors were ordered to closedown. Later Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan has announced to conduct online classes through Learning Management System (LMS) process which is not less than any blessing. Online education system has many benefits and has done miracles in the field of education. The culture of E-learning can bring in the competitive change and help in creating many opportunities for the students. But, Pakistan is one of the developing countries in the world which has not done much in the field of education that clearly reflects in the literacy rate of the Pakistan and the resources of the state are not sufficient to provide quality online education in each part of the country.

Similarly, Province Balochistan is with the least literacy rate in the country with least number of schools, colleges, universities and lack of educational facilities and in these conditions the educational sector announces online classes then this apparently increases the complications of already struggling students of Balochistan.

If we deeply observe the situation then we can identify different problems in this regard.

1.  No Electricity 
2.  No network access
3.  No internet access 
4.  Lack of digital tools and gadgets

Total electricity in the Makran Division of Balochistan is generated from Iran which is also not available 24/7 in cities like Turbat, Panjgur and Gawadar whereas in villages of the Makran this electricity is provided after every 48 hours of interval and only for Four hours. Then how they can attend the classes on Zoom, Google meet, or through any other application when they don’t even have electricity?

Correspondingly, the mobile network services are not available and no digital access. Some areas where the mobile network is available but mobile data services including 3G/4G are not accessible.

60% of students belong to middle class families and cannot afford laptops and wifi devices to continue their education through online classes.

We are not against online classes rather we encourage latest technology but our demand is to provide all the basic facilities to students i.e. Electricity, Mobile Networks, Internet Access, and Laptop to students, So that students of Balochistan also take privilege from these online classes.