Exploring the need for a responsive school curriculum to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic in Pakistan

Abstract

The article investigates the response of the Pakistani curriculum to the Covid-19 outbreak. It also looks into the development of a curriculum that addresses the specificities of students' situations, while reminding them of global connectedness. The article is based on semi-structured interviews with 10 curriculum experts, 20 principals, and 35 teachers, as well as content analysis of the 2018 National Curriculum Framework of Pakistan. Its findings reveal participants' disappointment with the top-down, predetermined nature of the curriculum, which makes it inadequate for situations such as the Covid-19 pandemic. The curriculum was perceived as being highly rigid, with little room for alternative modalities. Participants believed the curriculum could not support children's learning in normal times, much less during a pandemic. Therefore, this article suggests a complete revamping of the curriculum and strengthening of teachers' capabilities. It also suggests curricular material be updated to make it context specific, responsive to the needs of learners, and supportive of independent learning. Keywords Covid-19 crisis • Curriculum • Curriculum responsiveness • Learning • Pakistan At present, the world seeks insight into, knowledge of, and solutions to the myriad challenges confronting the education sector due to the Covid-19 pandemic (Gul and Khilji 2020). A country's needs, as well as the needs dictated by a rapidly changing working world, directly affect the educational environment and the ability to ensure a career-oriented

Distance Learning and Character Building in Rural Area During the Covid-19 Pandemic

“…During the pandemic, teachers always discussed with other teachers in setting learning goals. Teachers prioritized essential goals according to the direction of the Ministry of Education and Culture; Material in small units; Giving stimulation by giving examples with pictures; and Providing feedback (Dietrich et al, 2020;Gul & Khilji, 2021). The teacher trid to provide feedback even though not all assignments got them.…”

Exploring the Barriers to online Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic. A case of Pakistani Students from HEIs [Higher Education Institutions]

“…With better Internet technology resources available, students can learn online without interruptions (Baticulon et al, 2021). Concerning previous studies, due to the country's poor digital readiness, many educational institutions, including individual customers, are still not equipped with the latest internet technologies (Gul and Khilji, 2021). This is because high-speed internet access is not affordable for many students, especially those residing in rural areas.…”

“…Apart from this, developing countries like Pakistan have no robust IT infrastructure to meet the needs of urban and rural populations. In addition, the attitude of the educational community (university administration, faculty, students, and parents) towards this online learning mode is not very positive (Gul and Khilji, 2021). Lack of specific learning space in homes, especially for rural students, parents, and HEIs financial technology adoption constraints, lack of personal motivation and professional time management skills, and less academic interaction between students and faculty members are some of the issues to pay attention to make the e-learning experience effective (Shahid and Mughal, 2020).…”

Exploring Self Through Ghazalian Theory of Soul and Freudian Psychoanalysis: The Study of Professor Sohail in Raja Gidh

“…Also, the most appropriate approach to this study comes from Attride-Stirling (2001), whose method for the thematic analytic process of the textual data has been adapted. The thematic technique was best suited for the study as it is recommended by many recent studies (Gul & Khilji, 2021). This thematic network technique is divided into three stages of data reduction, exploration, and data complication or interpretation.…”