THIS refers to the decision by the government to reopen schools from Sept 15. The coronavirus pandemic has had some devastating effects on the already awful literacy rate in Pakistan.

This might be one of the factors which compelled the federal education ministry to reopen educational institutions.

School administrations may take every step possible to minimise the risk of the spread of Covid-19, but again these are 12-year-olds we are talking about. At the end of the day you can’t expect them to follow the SOPs, especially if it compromises the small amount of time they get from studies and have a samosa at the canteen.

It might be in the best interest of our youth if the educational institutes are kept closed till the pandemic is no more a threat.

Instead the network infrastructure in many areas should be revamped so the online learning experience is accelerated.

This could be the next big thing because social learning groups are becoming common and also very effective as people learn easily when they are provided with a personalised learning-driven environment.

Hamdan Ahmad
Karachi

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2020