'Business unusual'

LETTER: This apropos a Business Recorder op-ed "Business unusual" carried by the newspaper yesterday. The writer, Andleeb Abbas of PTI, has made, in my view, a very important suggestion in relation to virtual education in particular. According to her, "industries like education, training, consulting have to adjust to the new reality. Virtual may seem endurable but strategies need to be made out for different combinations. In universities and schools on line teaching and classes became the emergency solution. However, very few teachers or programmes were trained or developed for the virtual world. Teachers need to be trained on how to engage and motivate students behind screens who are sitting in their nightwear with zero attention focus. Training industry has to develop world class content where the lack of physical activities are compensated by virtual group activities and creative games that create the learning impact desired."

But my own experience tells me that that most of the schools have gone online are not imparting education in the real sense of the word. Moreover, not only are these schools demanding fees by 'due date', they are charging late payment surcharge in an environment which is characterised by closure of schools, massive layoffs, etc., because of coronavirus outbreak.