By Ms. Wajiha Akram, Honorable Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, Pakistan

My first reaction to the figures released in the latest GEM Report released last month was sadly not surprise or shock, but disappointment. The COVID-19 pandemic shook the entire world and made traditional methods of teaching and learning obsolete overnight!

A developing nation like Pakistan had to face, counter and solve many challenges, very, very quickly and I can honestly say that we tried our best. The report states: 'In Pakistan, a survey of 16 districts found similar learning losses in foundational skills in grades 1 and 3 but not in grade 5'. We understood that early-years education was likely to suffer more as younger children took longer to get used to e-learning and teleschool initiatives. Our feedback and analysis also showed that parents of younger children were also a bit more relaxed when it came to their studies and focused more on older siblings in more advanced classes.

It was indeed a trying and testing time. We were also trying to coordinate efforts for our new Single National curriculum initiative, within which we want to eradicate the discrepancies of the current 3 modes of education in Pakistan (private, public and madrassah) and bring them all on one page so that no child gets left behind in the current and any subsequent lockdowns.

However, Pakistan's response to the COVID pandemic and our handling of it has been lauded internationally. I feel that, in part, that was because of our immediate handling of the situation, where we did not waste time in taking the necessary steps and making the needed changes. We worked on switching schools to online platforms or closing them. We did what was best for the lives of Pakistani citizens and I think we did well considering all extenuating circumstances. Read more of this post