School Teachers and Principals’ Experiences During COVID-19 in Pakistan

Abstract

 As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, educational activities have been disrupted globally. In Pakistan, schools were closed down, and though some schools had started teaching online, the staff and students' readiness for education during the pandemic remained unexplored. An internet-based survey was conducted to explore the experiences of the teachers and principals during the lockdown. The survey included both open-ended and closed-ended questions. A majority of the respondents were female and were from Sindh. While the respondents from private schools reported that they could teach online, the respondents from government schools could not continue the teaching process during the lockdown phase. The school principals focused on acquiring technology for online teaching and offering skills development sessions. They used a variety of methods to monitor teaching and learning. Teachers relied on a mix of synchronous and asynchronous teaching. Infrastructure issues posed numerous challenges. Findings highlight an urgent need for teacher education programmes to incorporate digital literacy development and enhance pedagogical understanding of engaging students in online teaching environments and exploring solutions such as blended learning. The findings also draw our attention to questions of equitable access to quality education for all in Pakistan.