School teachers and principals’ experiences during COVID-19 in Pakistan

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, educational activities were disrupted globally. In Pakistan, schools were also closed, and though some schools had started teaching online, the staff (including principals and teachers) and students' readiness for education during the pandemic remained unexplored. An internet-based survey was conducted to explore the experiences of the teachers and principals during the lockdown. The survey included both open-ended and closed-ended questions. Responses were collected from respondents in different parts of Pakistan, with the majority coming from Sindh and coming from both the private and public sector. While the respondents from private schools reported that they could teach online, the respondents from government schools could not continue the teaching process during the lockdown phase. School principals focused on acquiring technology for online teaching and offering skills development sessions. They used a variety of methods to monitor teaching and learning. Teachers relied on a mix of synchronous and asynchronous teaching. Infrastructure issues posed numerous challenges. Findings highlight an urgent need for teacher education programmes to incorporate digital literacy development and enhance pedagogical understanding of engaging students in online teaching environments and exploring solutions such as blended learning. The findings also draw our attention to questions of equitable access to quality education for all in Pakistan.