When schools were forced to close to avert the spread of the novel corona virus, Pakistan stood up an educational channel. Programmed with content for kindergarten through high school, it provides each grade one hour of curriculum per day, so students have to watch in shifts.
Now, for millions of Pakistani schoolchildren, that single channel is their only access to education. And even that channel isn’t available to everyone.
Pakistan already struggles to keep millions of children in school, and as partial shutdowns continue, educators warn that enrollments could drop further. Some private-school students were given study plans and extra coursework, but most Pakistani children — those who attend government schools — were sent home with no further guidance.
“They said, ‘Keep them busy,’ but they didn’t provide us an outline to study, anything,” said Kainat Nisar, a 24-year-old university student who suddenly found herself in charge of the education of five nieces and nephews between the ages of 4 and 14.
