By: Muhammad Irfan Nadeem
COVID-19 arrived like a bolt from the blue and spread like a wildfire, creating spine-chilling and blood-curdling impacts. Dumbstruck university managements were so dazed, tormented and deeply concerned to get hold of some viable solutions to the ton loads of problems. Closing down of the universities was the first obvious step taken by the management. University students embraced the situation according to their inborn aptitude. Some were happy and some shed blood tears. We were pushed to something unbelievable and unimaginable because none in the 21st century could believe that closing down of universities in the middle of the semester could be an option.
Smoothly sailing ships of academia were moving towards their destination of academic perfection according to the whims and desires of university managements. Academia’s pure minds and self-satisfying and self-centered critics could have their reservations against the absence of depth, insight, vision, values and scholarly aspects, they have been pining for since ages, but the ongoing journey was not without its remarkably huge advantages, benefits and welfare of the youth. This opportunity was slipping away and devastating forces started to drag us towards chaotic situation. It, undoubtedly, caused hair-raising impacts and nerve-shattering confusion all around. Hopes are important to sustain and for doing so out of the way planning and selfless efforts are of paramount significance. Unfortunately, we were on the verge of collapse and none had to offer any solution to keep our hopes alive.
At the very outset, it seemed that we had been pushed to a war zone without preparation and without any will to stand tall. Obviously, it was like fighting a losing battle. It worsened because of haphazard and half-hearted efforts to set the ball rolling. Blame couldn’t be put to anybody or responsibility couldn’t be placed to any office, because pandemic invaded out of blue and left us all shocked and made all of us sprawl all around with dazed eyes and blurred visions. All the universities were taken by the storm and struggling to catch at a straw. Survival of the fittest is the order of the day; fortune favours the brave; and a man is the architect of his own destiny were the sermons, university managements didn’t have time to recall and act according. They were looking for the miracles to get saved or waiting for the storm to lose its debilitating force.
It goes without saying that pandemic forced the educationist to explore other means of ensuring contact with students and start thinking out of the box. This brainstorming open new avenues of possibilities and bridged the unwanted gaps caused by the devastating pandemic. Initially, online learning sessions had to face resistance by both, the students and the faculty. Faculty termed it a futile effort and, for them, it was like indulging in a wild goose chase. Physical sessions could never be replaced with online learning sessions. When the same individuals were asked about the alternatives, they didn’t have any solution to offer. At the same time, students also came up with countless excuses to be exempted of the zoom sessions and showed their willingness to freeze their semesters even. They didn’t realize that efforts were being made to take their jolting boats to safety.
University managements, very wisely, didn’t pay much heed neither to students nor to the hesitant faculty members, who were still hovered with unjustified fears and fright. The moments came when the managements were forced to believe that apprehension presented by the unwilling parties had got some weight. Hitches, barriers, stumbling blocks and hurdles were so enormous in some cases that some of the university managements were obliged to call it a day and suspend all learning activities for an uncertain period of time. It was a very crucial moment and a wrong decision could put the students’ careers to jeopardy. Eventually, common sense prevailed and it was decided that no matter the challenges faculty and students might face, the online learning experience will go on without any break. Faculty was supposed to help the students in reaching their destination by making them crawl or limp even.
The stuttering, stammering and faltering went on and on. Sessions after sessions, situation improved and initial fears, hesitations and unwillingness gave way and optimism and hope prevailed defeating our inborn pessimism. Many of the faculty members, who were quite hesitant to take up this challenge, now they are seen giving assertions that they have been enjoying online sessions the way they used to enjoy teaching in physical set up. Same is the case with a sweeping majority of students. In the beginning, they devised ways and means to miss their online sessions and concocted heart-wrenching stories to satisfy their teachers and university managements to issue them passes to stay out. With the passage of time, they also realized their blunders and they convinced themselves to be the part of this experience. University managements are quite satisfied now and they have excitedly claimed that pandemic proved a blessing in disguise helping them to devise and explore technology-oriented solutions. Technology is very much a part of our lives and we can’t survive by ignoring its fructifying impacts. We may assert without having a meager sense of doubt that without having a wakeup call by the pandemic, university managements wouldn’t have overcome their fears of trying technological solutions.
It is a fact as clear as broad daylight that we have been celebrating it as our achievement that we have improved our capacity in using zoom and other technology-oriented means of communication and holding online sessions, but still, a very big chunk of our students and teachers, have been deploring this scenario. We can’t blame all for being hesitant or shirkers, because many of our gifted students and faculty members belong to far-flung areas where having internet connectivity is like crying for the moon. Although they are keen to be a part of this exciting experience, yet they don’t have the required support and privilege. There are some students, whose parents are not able to make both ends meet even, and it is a huge challenge for them to keep the wolf from the door. We can’t expect them to attend online sessions and perform the way students from developed areas have been managing. Another very justifiable complaint of the students is that they are taught online and assessed the way they used to attend classes in a physical setup. It has badly affected their grades and this discrepancy has got on their nerves and has dragged them to the verge of collapse.
Bearing in mind the notion of the underprivileged community, we are hard-pressed to revisit our claim that pandemic is a blessing in disguise. As a matter of fact, it has snatched away hope from the gifted but poor students, who have been striving very hard to fill the vacant room on top to realize their dreams of doing something for their parents and for themselves to get rid of the tightening claws of poverty, destitute and ever-prevailing hunger and deprivation. Their point of view is valid; their questions are very thought-provoking, but the only problem is that we don’t have solutions and we don’t have answers.
Senior Lecturer in English,
Patron in Chief (Namal Societies & Clubs)
Namal Institute Mianwali.
Irfan.nadeem@namal.edu.pk
Irfannadeem11@gmail.com
+92-333-9837588
