Remote learning program is an alternative decision has made by educational institutions in COVID 19 pandemics in Afghanistan via internet and TV programs. They are obliged to pay themselves to download the materials and follow the TV programs that are produced by educational institutions in COVID 19 pandemic situation. In this respect, educational institutions are assumed to measure their students learning outcomes with provided materials on Websites and TVs.

Now, remote learning as opportunity is a new experience with new learning environment for Afghan students in COVID 19 pandemic. They would fight with the challenges and learn how to bring positive change by experiencing new technological products. They would realize how to use cost-effective tech-products and new apps. They also would acquire skills how to resolve the new challenges in emergency situations.

This article has begun with concepts analysis have been widely used on the social Medias. Amid that educators have used some different concepts interchangeably as online learning, such as remote learning, online and offline learning and etcetera.  Within, some of the concepts simultaneously reflect similar and different functions. Like the online one much effort fully students’ activation and want them to be more active participants during the online class. Students could exchange their ideas while teaching process has taken place. While the second concept encompass both online and offline learning materials subscribed on the webs and TVs. It seems remote learning is broad, but the online one is much narrower. In offline learning, students are not anymore active to exchange their ideas and solve immediate context challenges. Now in Afghanistan, we do experience remote learning as offline with deactivated learners. Students have bombarded with subscribed materials, and they don’t have opportunity to practice significant skills and competencies.

Besides, here stipulate a number of challenges regarding remote learning implementing in Afghanistan. They are intensive but not comprehensive:

First, students access to internet in remote learning program is substantial. Fast internet access would be the first ever significant source to provide a better education access in the country. Educational institutions and the Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Technology and private companies would create a coordination centre. This centre should fully oversee fast Internet access in the country as acceptable. But as it seems, there is not any centre to join educational institutions with telecommunication. For current, access to fast internet in the country unrealizable. As People always are complaining fast internet access, but Ministry of Tele-communication and Information Technology and private companies are ignoring the people demands repeatedly.

Second, the highly cost to pay for internet activation is another challenge. It makes students to pay high-price to provide themselves internet by private companies. Currently, most of the Afghan families are not able to provide such money in COVID 19 for their children education. That is what access internet with high price makes people to say “no” to education. Low and moderate classes of society economy have affected negative during COVID 19 pandemics. Even they are not able to think to pay for themselves children internet. As it seems such condition is much worse in lower class of society, because they are more vulnerable of their incomes and also form the majority of the Afghan population.

Third, electricity as key important source to ensure accessible remote learning. Usually Taliban armed forces are aimed survival energy resources in the country. This challenge gets increased during lockdown for COVID 19. People are always in large cities are witness blackout. So, electricity is another major challenge to stop remote learning program in the country. When students have no electricity, how they have to download and study subscribed materials.

Fourth, access to smart phones, computers and TVs are another challenge suffering people during pandemic lockdown. Economically, most of the people are not able to provide such products for their children to follow remote learning programs.

Finally, most of the aged people as the head of their families in the country even don’t understand how to use mobile phones. They are actually bread bearers to support their children education in their families. So, people awareness are playing key role to value education during or after lockdown. If they will be well aware of importance of education, they would expense; if the people awareness will be less, even families with luxurious would not pay and value to their children education.

To sum up, the stipulated challenges are intensive for students to keep continue their education. According to stated challenges very few students’ percentages would follow remote learning programs during COVID 19 pandemics. The majority ever never think of remote learning programs. Some minor percentages follow and receive a good experience of new challenges and benefits.

View expressed in this article are of the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Pajhwok’s editorial policy.

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