Blending Education policy and students”s troubles.

By: Hafizah Ali

Blending Education is type of interaction through online with traditional place-based. It is such an approach of education which require physically presence of students and teacher.
Well Karakoram International University recently announced blending Education policy under the wake of Covid-19.
According to the Directrate of Academic planing and review (DAPR), it is declared that the revised spring semester 2020 tentative academic calendar for blended Education policy under HEC directives is as be like that students of Karakoram International University will complete their online course Registration from 9th to 15th June and commencement of semester will be start from June 15, 2020.
There is nothing wrong with blended Education policy if facilities are well in place but this approach never suits for the students who are residing in areas like surroundings of Gilgit Baltistan, where internet is big hindrance and a nightmare to fulfill the requirements of this so called educational move. It looks easy by implementing by looking at the facilities of other cities and provinces of the country but when it comes to Gilgit Baltistan it courses goosebumps to even think of loosing our educational careers because of pandemic.
It will not be that easy to execute for the entire students of Karakoram International University in general but for the students of Ghizer, Hunza, Gojal in particular are more effected because of the non availability of proper internet services. Most of my friends and classmates when we talk about online classes they don’t even have SCOM service facilities at their villages. After winter vacation from December and till now even they couldn’t communicate with anyone through internet service rather than phone calls. So how could they even know about blended policy? Those students are also part of Karakoram International University, they also deserve to learn.
On the other hand when we look at demography of Gilgit Baltistan majority Areas of this region just only have SCOM Network Facilities and we all know how their receptions are.The services of SCOM always been compromised due to large number of users as we have to wait for 1kb image to download which takes ages. So how it could be possible an approach like blended Education?
It will be one possibility for the management and those students who are far away from internet facilities. The three University campus Hostels will be open according to the SOPS , for those students who even don’t have scom Network Facilities at their village. So that these students can get benefits from University Wifi facility.
Record content share is also one of the option, so that when ever students have access to Internet they can download the recorded lectures.
It will also be possible to improve scom service facility, so that poor Network will not be the hindrance in learning.
Last but not least that far flank areas’s students also face trouble in the form of electricity issue and that can’t be ignore.
If this approach “blended Education policy is limited for those students who have internet access than it’s okay. But if it is so designed for whole KIU students then the management must have to review the possible troublesome.

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