Moalims

A sizeable majority of Pakistanis do not have access to the internet but approximately 70 percent are mobile phone users. This proves that Pakistan does not have an internet-based economy but relies more on a mobile phone economy. Mobile phones play a key role in a person’s life and they are no longer a luxury but a necessity. In the recent past, m-learning has started to gain popularity. The idea is simple; improve education and bring about a positive change in society using a simple mobile phone.
A couple of weeks ago, I read about the launch of ‘Ilmi and Sitarey’, a free SMS service launched by the Department of Education and Literacy, Government of Sindh. “This service has been introduced to improve coordination among all the stakeholders of education in Sindh,” said the Secretary Education Sindh. The news item drew my attention to the point where it mentioned that this service could be used to highlight various issues related to education in Sindh. Matters such as ghost teachers or ghost schools, etc, can now be brought to the notice of the concerned authorities via this service. Just like the other initiatives of the government of Sindh, I was sceptical about the credibility of this service — a feeling that most citizens of Sindh experience.
Being a stakeholder of the public education system, I decided to experience the service myself. I typed Ilmi and sent it to 8398. I received a message, “Welcome to texting with Ilmi! Talk to me and get help with school, share stories, get tips, participate in quizzes and be a Sitara (star).” I was amazed by the speed of the response and kept asking different academic and non-academic questions, which were responded within no time.
I was pleasantly surprised to see an educational initiative at the government level, especially in Sindh. In the current state of education, which I would describe as close to pathetic, such a service brings a ray of hope to the otherwise dark and dead end road of education. This service, if used appropriately by the people of Sindh, could bring transformational change to the province. I request the people of Sindh to take advantage of this service and make the most of it.

MUHAMMAD MURAD
Jacobabad