Great potential for establishment of e-learning industry in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, DEC 11 (DMN) - Great potential for establishment of e-learning industry in Pakistan. There is immense potential for the establishment of distance and e-Learning industry in Pakistan based on international best practices and standards.

Well-planned and joint efforts in HRD in multiple disciplines, at sizable level, at distant locations are needed to develop multicultural, tolerant and skilled manpower.

This was the conclusion of the Guest Lecture on ‘China-Pakistan Economic Corridor: Prospects of Distance & E-Learning for Human Development’ organized by the Islamabad Policy Research Institute, here in the capital today. 

The lecture, by DrNazir Ahmed Sangi, former Vice Chancellor, Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), was attended by academicians, students and journalists.

Great potential for establishment of e-learning industry in Pakistan

Dr Nazir Ahmed Sangi provided an overview of how AIOU broke new grounds in the fields of professional, scientific, and technical education by reaching out to the remotest areas of Pakistan through modern Information Technology.

He said that in far-flung areas like Umerkot, D.G. Khan, Rahim Yar Khan, and Multan state-of-art study centres, with no faculty were imparting online trainings and education to rural students. Dr Sangi was of the view that the full potential of CPEC is yet to be understood, especially in terms of its prospects for human development.

‘The bigger picture is that Pakistan has a great deal to learn from this is extensive cooperation with the second-largest economy in the world - China. One area Pakistan could benefit from Chinese expertise and assistance in the form of laying out infrastructure is Distance and e-Learning,’ he stressed. However, he also urged that the National Education Policy of Pakistan needs to catch up with the CPEC initiative. 

‘Pakistan’s education policy needs to be collaborative and innovative, and accommodate DL and e-Learning by following high standards, developing good infrastructure and focused facilities. It needs to be a policy which is multilingual, multicultural and tolerant,’ he advised.

Stressing the importance of CPEC trainings and education, Dr Sangi called for the need to produce dynamic professionals in commercial and engineering disciplines by developing strong processes /linked  activities, safety procedures, skills, communication methods and teamwork ethics for rapid growth and quality conscious output. 

He pointed out that focused faculty for e-learning in both countries is required, along with special CPEC Endowment Funds for institutions of learning. Along with strong work ethics and rule-based operations, high level of monitoring and vigilance is a must for collaborative Pak-China education projects to succeed.

Demonstrating AIOU’s first online Chinese language course modules, he urged that enhancing internet connectivity in far-flung areas can revolutionize distance and e-learning and help equip the Pakistani population with modern skills and knowledge, as well as bridge the digital divide.

Earlier, welcoming Dr Sangi and other guests, Brig. (Retd.) Naveed Ali, Director of Administration at IPRI, highlighted that CPEC can contribute significantly to Pakistan’s human resource development. He said that under CPEC, setting up various optical fiber cables presents an opportune moment for the development of the IT sector of Pakistan which in turn can enhance connectivity. 

‘In this regard, one of the main areas that can have an impact is the creation of a robust and reliable E-Learning Network between Pakistan and China’, he stressed.=DMN

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