KARACHI: The Faculty of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences (FLAHS), Ziauddin University (ZU), conducted its first multidisciplinary two-day international virtual conference on "Diversity, Inclusion and Equity: Synergies and Challenges in the wake of Covid-19" in collaboration with the National Academy of Higher Education, HEC, Islamabad.
The conference was broadcast live on ZU's Facebook page. Through this conference, ZU provided a platform to all national and international researchers to present their research papers. The purpose of this conference was also to bring together the varied expertise and interests of academia and representatives of key sectors such as business and health on one platform in order to discuss and debate social issues that are particularly relevant in the wake of Covid-19.
On the first day of the conference, Prof. Dr. Shaheen Sardar Ali, Rector, National Academy of Higher Education, HEC Islamabad, presented her research paper on the responses to the Covid-19 pandemic.
She critically analyzed the challenges as well as the opportunities of the pandemic and its unintended consequences. On the positive aspects, the paper argues that in addition to substantive content on teaching and learning, research and academic governance, the transformation to online delivery of the program forced new skills and competencies upon the participants.
The paper raised the issue of how the Covid-19 pandemic had increased the gap between those with access to the internet and those deprived of it.
Dr. Nida Hussain, pro-chancellor of Ziauddin University, emphasized that the university was committed to authentic, multidisciplinary research and its efficient mobilization to benefit society as a whole.
Baela Raza Jamil, CEO of the Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA), on the topic of "When Learning Never Stopped: mobilizing communities and students for action", said, "Covid-19 pandemic is an unprecedented global emergency that affected every single field of life including education services. 188 countries of the world abruptly shut down their education systems affecting more than 1.6 billion students including 40 million in Pakistan (UNESCO 2020).
"The pandemic has pushed state and non-state educators to redesign learning actions and platforms through blended approaches of face-to-face and distance digital solutions, more holistic, accelerated, cost-effective and human above all."
Dr. Frances Schoonmaker, Professor Emeritus of Teachers College, Columbia University, USA, while speaking about "Rethinking Access and Equity in Education", said, "Educators will not be able to erase the self-perpetuating effects of inequity, lack of access to education services, and racial injustice until they find ways of addressing the cultural myths embedded in our various personal and national histories."
While expressing her full confidence she advised the conference participants to examine their own histories and to trace the emergence of discriminatory practices toward women and minorities that are passed on to prospective teachers and the students these teachers will influence and that continue to undermine educational opportunity in several contexts.
Dr. Caroline Manion, senior lecturer at the University of Toronto, said that the Covid-19 pandemic had created the largest and longest global disruption of school-based education in modern history. Almost every country in the world has experienced school closures, affecting well over a billion children.
In his welcome address, Prof. Dr. Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui, the vice chancellor of Ziauddin University, extended appreciation to keynote speakers, researchers and panelists of the conference.
"This is indeed a rare occasion where the boundaries have been blurred and we all have come together to address the challenges posed by Covid-19, and build on the synergies built during these trying times to make the world a better place to live in. Ziauddin University seeks to enhance and expand learning in all disciplines and across disciplines as well. It is with this spirit that we have designed a multi-disciplinary approach to draw insights, strategies, and implications for the post-Covid world," he said.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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