SOE Holds Live Webinar on "COVID-19: Reopening & Reimagining Schools"

With the emergence of COVID-19 as a universal crisis there has been a huge hit on the education sector across the globe. This is even more pronounced in countries of the Global South such as Pakistan. Syed Ahsan Ali & Syed Maratib Ali School of Education, in this regard has been at the forefront of steering discourse around this massive calamity and its impact on the academic realm.

The School has actively been involved in identifying and addressing COVID-related educational implications for the country, while engaging relevant stakeholders in the conversation. One such initiative was the webinar held on Friday, 23rd October. As part of the ongoing EduSpeak series, the Office of Partnerships connected with select partners to deliberate upon re-evaluating schooling practices, and conceiving new, innovative approaches for teaching and learning during the pandemic.

The webinar titled “COVID-19: Reopening & Reimagining Schools” was moderated by Director Office of Partnerships, Ms. Mehreen Noon, hosting a range of distinguished panelists,  who discussed matters such as the unique challenges around educational delivery, expected learning losses, assessments, teacher training, curriculum modifications and student health and safety concerns. 

The panelists included Shehryar Salamat, Executive Director SEML, a school network encompassing SICAS, Kids Kampus, and Salamat, Abdal Mufti, Head of Research at PMIU, School Education Department, John Proctor represented City School Group where he oversees the language and literacy department, Ammar Rashid, owner and Director Academics at Al-Beruni International School, and Zareen Niazi, Executive Director of Ala-ud-Din Academy, a high-school for girls and Director DAMEN Support Program, a microfinance institution in Lahore.

The panelists presented unique insights and highlighted the critical steps necessary to move forward in case the pandemic continues into the year 2021. The session closed with final remarks from Dr. Faisal Bari, Interim Dean of the School of Education. He stressed the need for constant dialogue and collaborative efforts for effective future initiatives, in order to successfully steer Pakistan's educational sector through the pandemic.