KABUL (Pajhwok): Some students, teachers, and experts have welcomed educational programs aired by certain media outlets in the country and are calling for their expansion.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Information and Culture also emphasized increasing such programs.
Recently, several visual and audio media outlets, as well as YouTube channels, have begun focusing on school curriculum content.
These programs are followed not only by girls who have been barred from attending school but also by a large number of other students.
Students’ accounts of educational media programs
Mohammad Elias, a 16-year-old tenth-grade student at the private “Mashal Jawidan” high school in Kabul, sits in front of the television at 3 p.m. every day—not to watch cartoons or entertainment shows, but to attend a lesson.
He is working hard to pursue his lofty dreams.
At 2:50 p.m., Elias places his math notebook on the table and picks up the TV remote. He has to be ready ten minutes before the start of his favorite show—Maktab-i-Tamaddon, which airs daily on the private Tamaddon TV channel.
He says: “I watch the Maktab-i-Tamaddon program on Tamaddon TV. It’s a very good program, and I watch it every day.”
He believes such programs are effective in raising students’ knowledge and urges his peers to make use of these televised lessons.
Elias is not the only one benefiting from these educational media programs—thousands of other boys and girls also follow them.
Hadisa Salehi, another student, says: “Tamaddon TV broadcasts are good lessons for us. My mother encourages me to watch this program.”
She, who hopes to become a doctor in the future, calls on the Islamic Emirate to allow all girls to attend school so that Afghan girls, like girls in other countries, can be adorned with the jewel of knowledge and education.
Continue education: Lida’s struggle for learning
Lida Rezayee, a resident of Dasht-i-Barchi area in Kabul, is another fan of educational programs on media. She says that during the political transition in August 2021, she was a sixth-grade student at Zainab Kobra High School.
She adds: “After being confined to home, I started thinking and looked for a solution. That’s when I found out about online lessons on TV.”
She explains that in the beginning, when she started online learning, power outages and internet cuts created problems.
However, now that she follows the Maktab-i-Tamaddon program on Tamaddon TV, her problem is resolved, as the program is broadcast three times a day.
Rozita Momenzada, another viewer of the program, is happy that such educational shows are being broadcast and says more such programs should be introduced.
She also turned to online classes after lessons beyond the sixth grade were halted for girls.
She says: “At first, I had no experience. I wondered—how would it go? Would it be effective? Would I learn anything? But I had no choice but to try online lessons, so I started.”
Rozita says she has gained good results from online lessons.
She concludes: “My message to both boys and girls is to make use of educational media programs, always study, and continue learning. I also urge the government to reopen our girls’ schools so we can continue our education.”
All interviewees welcomed the educational programs broadcast by media and called for their continuation and expansion.
Experts’ views on educational programs
Abdullah Kakar Nisari, an education expert, says that learning—regardless of how it is delivered—is extremely important. Broadcasting educational content through audio-visual media is very beneficial.
He says: “After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of online education became clear to the world. We live in the 21st century and must adapt ourselves to the circumstances and make effective use of technology.”
According to him, online or media-based educational programs are both economical and accessible, and they are not limited by time or place.
Meanwhile, Mahbubullah Moahad, another education expert, praises the broadcast of educational content via audio and visual media, as it significantly enhances students’ knowledge.
He adds: “Recently, a number of media outlets, both audio and visual, have launched several educational programs, and on the other hand, online schools have been established on social media. Many people are working hard in those spaces.”
While he says that online education can never fully replace in-person teaching, he acknowledges that in the current situation, where girls are banned from attending schools, it can be very effective.
He emphasizes that if such programs are properly managed, students can continue their education effectively.
One of these programs
Maktab-i-Tamaddon is one of these educational programs broadcast by the private Tamaddon TV channel. It has gained a large following among both male and female students.
Mohammad Rahmati, the managing director of Tamaddon TV, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the station launched its first educational program around twelve years ago.
He said: “We had a program called Ham-Sanfi (Classmate), maybe 10 or 12 years ago, which had many viewers. In that program, we taught school subjects, mainly science subjects, and had many viewers in the provinces back then.”
He explains that based on the experience from Ham-Sanfi, in March 2022, following the ban on girls attending school above grade six, they launched a new educational program called Maktab-i-Tamaddon.
He adds: “The aim of this new educational program was to ensure that those who, for any reason, are deprived of school could still have access to quality academic knowledge. We used a better teaching method, higher quality, and selected very capable teachers.”
He explained that Maktab-i-Tamaddon, which is broadcast on TV and YouTube, covers school subjects from grades 7 to 12 and is taught by 15 teachers. Science subjects are prioritized, and each subject is taught for about six months.
According to the source, the program is aired daily from 8 to 9 a.m., 3 to 4 p.m., and 10 to 11 p.m.
Teachers’ view
Nargis Rahmati, one of the teachers in Maktab-i-Tamaddon, says she has been teaching biology for the past three years.
She previously taught at private schools and notes that teaching online is very different from in-person teaching and somewhat more difficult.
Hojat Mohammadi, another teacher in the program, said he has been teaching basic concepts in various courses for 14 years and is now involved in teaching in the Tamaddon TV program.
He praised the experience of online teaching and said they had used it successfully during the COVID-19 pandemic as well.
Other media outlets involved
In addition to Tamaddon TV, TOLO TV, Arman Radio, Arezo Radio, Lemar, Killid Radio, and some other outlets also broadcast similar educational programs.
View of the Ministry of Information, Culture
Khabib Ghafran, spokesman for the Ministry, also considers the broadcast of educational content through media to be effective and a critical need, urging media outlets to expand such efforts to raise public knowledge.
He stated that currently, about 10 media outlets, mostly TV and radio stations, have been broadcasting educational and instructional programs.
He added: “The goal of the Ministry of Information and Culture this year and in the coming years is to explore how we can make media more specialized, scientific, and educational—especially educational, scientific, and social programs.
Such programs greatly affect the minds, understanding and create awareness, so it is essential that media outlets producing such content be highly professional, skilled, and committed so that the people can benefit as much as possible.”
sa/ma
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