The COVID-19’s Legacy in Pakistan’s Higher Secondary Education: A Cross-sectional Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14178555Keywords:
COVID-19, Decline, Downfall, Education, IntellectualsAbstract
Purpose: The objective of this study is to examine the post-COVID impacts on Pakistan's education system and offer recommendations to overcome these issues.
Design/Methodology/Approach: A cross-sectional study design was followed to conduct a questionnaire based survey. A well-structured questionnaire was provided to education’s intellectuals, including teachers and principals. A total of 1164 responses were recorded, quantitatively examined, and statistically analyzed. The significance of the results was compared by p-value (p = 0.05) with a 95% confidence interval.
Findings: Intellectuals’ responses comprised on 653(56.1%) male and 511(43.9%) female; Lecturer 720(61.9%), Subject Specialist 234(20.1%) and Principal 210(18.0%) from government 784(67.4%) and private 380(32.6%) educational institutions. The study revealed that the highest percentage of respondents (44.16%) strongly agreed on key issue that the current education system does not produce skilled students at the basic level. Second most closely followed by 43.38% who identified the promotion policy up to grade eight as a problem. Additionally, 43.04% highlighted the lack of uniformity in the basic school system as a major concern. Regarding the evaluation and examination system, particularly the semester system, 39.26% of respondents strongly agreed that it contains significant flaws. This issue also had the highest level of disagreement, with 7.65% of respondents indicating satisfaction with the system.
Implications/Originality/Value: The study highlights that integrating social media and technology into the education system can mitigate the decline in education during future disruptions like COVID-19. Consistent policies and infrastructure development are crucial for sustaining adaptable and resilient education systems. The outcomes of this study offer strategies that can enhance the stability of the education systems.
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