Articles and letters may be edited for the purposes of clarity and space. They are published in good faith with a view to enlightening all the stakeholders. However, the contents of these writings may not necessarily match the views of the newspaper.
Balochistan needs attention
THERE can be no two opinions about the deep-rooted miseries of Balochistan, the largest province of the country by area. Unfortunately, Balochistan has been mercilessly kept backward by successive governments for decades. For instance, illiteracy ratio has been an alarming problem in the province. In Punjab, Sindh and the KP, literacy rate is estimated at 63pc, 60pc and 53pc respectively but in Balochistan this rank hardly touches 44pc, according to the UNESCO’s latest report for 2020.
Similarly, the statistics of the Academy of Educational Planning and Management for 2014-2015, that more than 2.2 Million children between the age of 5 and 16 were out of school in Pakistan but in Balochistan, at least 1.8 million children do not attend school which makes up 70pc of the total out-of-school children in the country. The devastated healthcare system is a lasting headache for the people of Balochistan. Even, main hospitals of Quetta are lacking basic health facilities required for the patients.
Furthermore, both poverty and joblessness have drastically perturbed the people of the province. Despite making airy promises, even the current government has not done something to improve the lot of the people of Balochistan. There is a long list of problems and miseries of the Baloch people and mentioning them one by one is a difficult task. We, the people of Balochistan, only request the govt(s) to take such steps which may bring hope to the people of this hitherto neglected area.
PROF HUSSAIN HUNARMAL
Zhob, Balochistan
Domestic violence
Domestic violence and abuse can happen to anyone, it does not discriminate. It is used for one purpose: to gain and maintain total control over an individual. An abuser doesn’t play fair. An abuser uses fear, guilt, shame, and intimidation to wear you down and keep you under their thumb. It occurs within all age ranges, ethnic backgrounds, and economic levels. And while women are more often victimised, men also experience abuse, especially verbal and emotional abuse. The bottom line is that abusive behaviour is never acceptable, whether from a man, woman, teenager or an adult. You deserve to feel valued, respected and safe.
Domestic abuse often escalates from threats and verbal assault to violence. And while physical injury may pose the most obvious danger, the emotional and psychological consequences of domestic abuse are also severe. Emotionally abusive relationships can destroy your self-worth, lead to anxiety and depression and make you feel helpless and alone. No one should have to endure this kind of pain and your first step to breaking free is recognising that your relationship is abusive.
Many men and women suffer from emotional abuse which is no less destructive. Unfortunately, emotional abuse is often minimised or overlooked even by the person experiencing it. If you suspect that someone you know is being abused, speak up! If you’re hesitating and telling yourself that it’s none of your business, or that the person might not want to talk about it, you might be wrong. Keep in mind that expressing your concern will let the person know that you care and may even save their life.
IRMA YOUSUF
Karachi
Impact of online education
Many newspapers, TV programmes and much more have already played vital role in spreading the knowledge of online education but still it hasn’t made its place. This COVID-19 is the time to put an eye on it so I want to give a notice on: Online education system big name in today’s timeline, getting to heard commonly. Virtual education is well on its way to being orthodox by 2025. Raising the question, what is the best method of online education? This is a question of a million dollars. It is copiously clear at this moment that we should be subsume the principles of both online (virtual) and offline (F2F) education.
It needs to argue on that they assume that because of a crisis with little improvement in pedagogy, ERT is a realistic, immediate or short-term shift in providing education through a new modality while online education needs careful consideration. For online education, it is important to have institutional policies and frameworks for course design, minimum standards for teaching, alongside access to technology and student assessments. Faculty and students we interviewed from various private universities in Karachi identify a lack of knowledge of appropriate tools and techniques suitable to respond to the need for virtual classrooms.
Many students zone out during long non-interactive synchronous lectures or get frustrated with the constant connectivity issues. Familiarity with technology is not only a technical issue but also teaching skills or study skills issue. The success of online learning during and beyond the pandemic will be largely dependent on how universities will bring their focus back to learning design and research. What I personally feel that why only we and authorities always wait for bad time comes and we build our self to new technologies. So kindly pay attention to the availability of resources and its complete use in upcoming time.
NISHA PERVEEN
Karachi
