The top education stories that shaped 2020

The year 2020 has been hugely baffling for everyone, especially for the students and teachers. Like every other aspect of life affected by the Coronavirus pandemic, the education sector also remained in a state of uncertainty and faced various ups and downs. There were moments in the education sector in Pakistan that were overwhelming and a mix of emotional, disturbing, stressful, happy, and joyful feelings in the year 2020

Right after the outbreak of Covid-19 in March, the subsequent lockdown was imposed and all educational institutes closed down and shifted online to patch up with the “new normal” life.

Let’s have a quick look into 2020 for the major happenings when Campus Guru launched its education portal in the most pressing times.

March

Closure of Schools

The government of Pakistan decided that all the educational institutes shall remain closed till 31st May 2020. This was decided during the National Security Committee as the number of affected patients of Coronavirus was increasing very rapidly.

O and A-Levels Exams Cancelled

Cambridge international canceled all examinations in the world. The exams were set to take place in May and June 2020. Students were graded on the basis of the skills and knowledge gained from the respective courses.

April

PM Imran Khan launched Tele School

Prime Minister Imran Khan launched the Tele School Channel to provide education to students living in remote areas. While addressing the conference the PM said that the objective of the Tele School Initiative is to provide education to students at their doorsteps during the lockdown.

HEC criticized for being ‘Anti Education’

The Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA) termed the Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) new policy on research publications as anti-education and threatening for the research students and teachers in the country.

Call off Semester

Higher Education Commission was forced to ask universities to either switch online or call off the semester due to prevailing uncertainty amid coronavirus in the country.

Promotions on average marking

The top committee of Sindh education proposed a plan regarding the postponement or cancellation of the matriculation and intermediate examination as the number of COVID-19 patients is peaking in the country.

May

Re-opening of schools

Inter Board Committee of Chairmen IBCC conducted an online meeting and agreed to reopen schools on June 01 and hold matric and inter-exams from June 01 to July 15. The committee had also agreed to cancel practical exams.

Closure extended and all exams canceled

In the light of the prevailing coronavirus crises, the government had decided to extend the closure of educational institutes till July 15 while canceling all the board examinations for the year 2020.

Summer vacation extended

Punjab Government’s Education minister Dr. Murad Raas said on May 15 that the school holidays could be extended until 15th August. He spoke in a TV show, where he said the student's and teachers' lives are very valuable to us. We cannot risk endangering precious lives.

Sindh launched a learning app

Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani announced the launch of a learning App with the name SELD Learning App by Muse to initiate digital learning in the province. He said this while talking to a press conference on May 19.

June

Students protested

A protest was staged by the university students from across the country outside the Higher Education Commission (HEC) office against online classes and semester fee.

Threats and hunger strikes by students

The students of Punjab University threatened that if their demands are not fulfilled, the students from across the country will protest against HEC policies.

Punjab students’ bodies called for a hunger strike in front of the HEC Islamabad office against failed online classes and universities' demand for fees.

Re-opening of schools

The Federal government started evaluating the possibility of reopening universities on July 15 and informed the Higher Education Commission to take all the varsities into confidence across the country.

July

Harassment case in school

The Minister of Education Schools Punjab, Dr. Murad Raas, took strict notice against the harassment cases with female students in a private school in Lahore.

Re-opening announcements

The education ministers of all four provinces, along with Kashmir & Gilgit Baltistan, agreed to re-open educational institutes on September 1 in an Inter-Provincial Conference.

Save private schools

The All Pakistan Private School Association appealed to the Governor of Punjab, Chaudhary Mohammad Sarwar, to take immediate notice to save thousands of private schools that may have to permanently close-down due to the loss caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Book ban

Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board prohibited around 100 textbooks from teaching in educational institutes that are believed to be against the teachings of Islam and the ideology of Pakistan.

August

A nine-year-old Pakistani girl breaking the record of an Indian professor became the fastest and youngest in the world to arrange the chemical elements of the periodic table in the shortest possible time.

Saad Amer, an Economics graduate from Lahore University of management sciences (LUMS),  set a new GRE national record by scoring 339 out of 340.

Single National Curriculum

The Ministry for Education and Professional Training announced the first phase of the Single National Curriculum (SNC) which will be implemented the effective year 2021.

September

SOPs for schools issued

The Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) issued guidelines for the school staff and parents before reopening of the federal government (FG) educational institutions next week.

Schools reopened

Thousands of schools and colleges across Pakistan will reopen from September 15,  ending a six-month-long closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Results announced

Over 99 percent of students in the science group passed their matric exams, according to Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK) Acting Controller Abdul Razzaq Depar.

October

Campuses sealed over SOP violations

After an order from the Ministry of National Health Services Regulation and Coordination, two colleges and three Islamabad schools are sealed with immediate effect. There were 2 positive cases of Covid-19 at each institute.

Black day

The Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association gave a call to observe Black Day against policies of the Higher Education Commission and the Punjab government.

Fee reduction revoked

The Sindh government revoked the 20% school fee concession announced in April because of the COVID-19 restrictions.

November

More educational institutes sealed

On the district health officer's orders, five more educational institutes in Islamabad have been sealed after coronavirus cases were reported. According to a District Health Officer, one educational institution in the federal capital has been re-sealed.

Educational institutes closed again

The Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood has announced the closure of all educational institutes from November 26, till January 11, due to the 82 percent increase in Coronavirus cases in the educational institutes.

Radio Pakistan

Radio Pakistan started a radio broadcast for the students all across the country. The broadcast aimed to teach the students from the nursery and primary classes regularly.

Special MDCAT 2020 and the discrepancies

The Medical and Dental Council announced a special MDCAT examination for the students who are COVID-19 positive.

December

40 million children

40 million children in Pakistan got affected by the closure of COVID-19 schools, forcing students to focus on digital classrooms, and schooling can be almost out of reach for those with no internet connection.

Two-year Bachelors program abolished

The Higher Education Commission of Pakistan abolished the two year MA and MSC program entirely effective December 3, 2020. The commission said HEC would not attest any registered students in the two-year Master's program after December 31, 2020.

KU rejects HEC’s decision

Karachi University rejected the Higher Education Commission's (HEC) decision to end the two-year graduation and master's programs.

“I am greatly concerned about students”

The Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood said that schools will reopen soon adding that the situation of covid-19 is under control and he is greatly concerned about the education of students.

“PMC is failed institute”

Despite reissuing the results and rectifying the errors, the students were still not happy with the regulator over the MDCAT 2020 exam and called it a "failed institution".

Madressah for the transgender community

The first-ever Madrassah founded in Islamabad specifically for the transgender community has started to enroll students from all age groups.

Review meeting for reopening of schools

Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood said that the educational institutions in the country would be reopened only after reviewing the Covid-19 situation in a meeting on January 4.

Schools may not open

Punjab Education Minister Murad Raas said that the schools in the province may remain closed for an extended period keeping in view the Covid-19 pandemic situation in the province.