Open access and open educational resources

The digital age brings new sources of educational materials

(1) Cost savings: OeRs can significantly reduce the cost of educational materials for students and schools, making education more accessible and affordable.

(2) Improved educational quality: OeRs can be updated and improved by anyone, leading to a more dynamic and up-to-date educational experience

(3) Flexibility: OeRs can be adapted to the specific needs of a particular class or student, allowing for a more personalized learning experience

(4) Increased access to educational materials: OeRs can be accessed by anyone with an internet connection, regardless of location or financial means, helping to reduce the digital divide and promoting equal access to education

The Internet has brought tremendous revolutions in our daily lives. Gone are the days when people spent most of their time in libraries. There is a huge rise in Open Access and educational resources. A question, however, arises in most minds. What is Open Access? Open Access (OA) refers to making scholarly research and literature freely available on the Internet, allowing anyone to access and use it without barriers such as paywalls. The goal is to increase access to knowledge and promote its dissemination and use for the public good.

Open Access Resources (OeR) in education refer to teaching, learning, and research materials that are freely available for anyone to use, modify, and distribute. This includes textbooks, videos, tests, and other educational materials that can be used in a classroom or for self-directed learning. OeRs aim to make education more accessible and affordable by reducing the cost of materials for students and teachers.

In the educational scenario, Open education Resources (OeRs) have undergone various benefits; some of the benefits are

(5) Collaboration: OeRs encourage collaboration and sharing of educational materials, fostering a sense of community and promoting the exchange of ideas.

(6) Improved student outcomes: OeRs have positively impacted student performance and engagement. In short, we may say that OeRs have the potential to transform education and make it more accessible, flexible, and effective for everyone.

Numerous OeRs are available on the Internet; some popular websites include

(1) OpenStax: A nonprofit organization that provides peer-reviewed, open-source textbooks for college and high school courses

(2) Project Gutenberg: One of the oldest digital libraries, offering over 60,000 free eBooks.

(3) Khan Academy: A nonprofit educational organization that provides free online courses and resources in various subjects.

(4) OpenSesame: An online marketplace for buying and selling e-learning courses, with free courses available

(5) MERLOT: A multi-disciplinary collection of online learning materials and resources, including course materials, multimedia, and assessments.

(6) MIT OpenCourseWare: A free and open digital publication of high-quality educational materials from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

(7) Open Education Consortium: A global network of institutions and organizations committed to advancing open education and offering free educational resources and courses.

(8) OER Commons: A digital library and network for educators, students, and researchers to find and share open educational resources

(9) PDF Drive: An online free library that offers millions of books and articles. These are just a few examples of the many sources of OeRs available online. By using OeRs, educators and students can access high-quality educational materials at no cost.

In Pakistan, most people rely on Open educational Resources (OeRs) because people need more time to visit libraries. Several websites promote educational resources free of cost for the students; some popular websites are given below:

(1) Digital Study Hall (DSH): A nonprofit organization that provides free, web-based learning resources for students in rural areas of Pakistan.

(2) Punjab OER Initiative: An initiative of the Government of Punjab aimed at promoting the use of OeRs in schools and colleges throughout the province.

(3) HEC Digital Library: The higher education Commission (heC) of Pakistan has established a digital library with a collection of OeRs and other educational resources.

(4) Free Textbook Project: The Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) project aimed at providing free, high-quality textbooks for college students in Pakistan.

(5) Sindh OER Initiative: A similar initiative to the Punjab OeR Initiative aimed at promoting the use of

OeRs in schools and colleges in the Sindh province. These initiatives are helping to promote the use of OeRs in Pakistan and improve access to education for students. By reducing the cost of materials and improving the quality of resources, OeRs can play a key role in advancing education in Pakistan. Though Open educational Resources (OeRs) have their benefits like time saving, being free of cost, flexibility in content, and improved student outcomes however, some negative aspects associated with OeRs are given below:

(1) Quality control: Since anyone can contribute to or modify OeRs, the quality of the materials can vary greatly. This may lead to unreliable or inaccurate information being shared.

(2) Funding: The development and maintenance of OeRs rely on donations and volunteer contributions, which can lead to a lack of resources and funding for ongoing support and improvement.

(3) Limited resources: While OeRs are widely available, the range of materials may not be as extensive as those in commercial sources. This can limit the options available to educators and students.

(4) Intellectual property issues: OeRs are often licensed under Creative Commons or other open licenses, which can raise questions about copyright and intellectual property.

(5) Technical skills: Using OeRs may require certain technical skills, such as the ability to access and navigate digital materials, which can be a barrier for some users.

In a nutshell, OeRs have the potential to improve access to education significantly, but there are also challenges to be aware of and overcome. Careful evaluation and selection of OeRs, along with proper training and support for users, can help to mitigate these challenges and ensure the successful use of OeRs in education.

The writer is Deputy Director at ISSI Library, A Think Tank based in Islamabad.

Editor’s mail

Annoying checks

ALMOST six years ago, I had written about the radio frequencyidentification (RF-ID) checkpoint on Islamabad expressway near Faizabad in my letter ‘Islamabad expressway’ (April 26, 2017). These days, the local police administration has again set up such checkpoints all over the city. I fail to understand why the terrorists would pass through these points. These checkpoints since the beginning of the new year are adding to the difficulties people face in reaching their respective destinations. These long queues are also a threat to the public.

The expressway was built with an investment of billions of rupees and was supposed to be a signal-free corridor to keep traffic flow smooth. There are only five lanes on the expressway and all of them are mostly blocked during peak hours when people go to educational institutions and offices. Now imagine, what would happen if 50,000 cars would come in one flow divided into five lanes? Traffic jam, of course.

Thousands of people have been expressing their concerns and anger about this problem on various online platforms. The government should look into the matter as people are already frustrated about traffic hassles they face from Rawat to Islamabad. The authorities concerned should reconsider the security plan in order to facilitate the citizens.

SHAHERYAR HASSAN ISLAMABAD

Fight for a cause

A poet of finer sensibilities

in or out of love. Few modern-day poets have captured the feelings of lovelorn souls the way Amjad Islam Amjad has.” his work is brilliant and towers well above his fellow poets.

AFTeR Faiz amongst our new generation of poets, Amjad Islam Amjad was one of the best poets with few others who truly counted with the people, was the most loved and soujght-after poet, both by the connoisseurs as well as by the common people alike.

As an intellectual of very wide sympathies and with a socialist-realist bent, he had gained great popularity, and in his ‘Mushairas’, his turn was keenly awaited who appeared last of all and recited his lines. Invariably, he drew a thumping applause from his listeners and stole the limelight of the show.

Beginning his career as an educationist, he taught Urdu in Lahore’s distinguished educational institutions to graduate and postgraduate students and thereafter worked as a Director in Pakistan Television Centre Lahore from 19751979. In 1997, he was appointed as the Director General of the Urdu Science Board. In his later postings, he served as the Project Director of the Children Library Complex.

he was essentially a romantic poet of very high order, and most of his poems reveal his heart-broken feelings for his lover. I became enamoured of him as a poet of great worth when I heard him in a ‘Mushaira’ in which he recited his famous poem written in blank verse but with a fascinating internal rhythm, “tumhain mujh se mohabbat hai” (You’re in love with me).

In this poem his theme was that love is not a silent and subjective emotion, and unless love displays its strength and exuberance in a very practical way, and shows its pulsating urge for the loved one, it remains short of being a genuine emotion. Its actual physical manifestation by letting the loved one know its potentially overweening force, is extremely essential. True love, according to the poet, is deeper than the deepest sea, and more stable than the mountains, and hence it should firmly re-affirm itself again and again. Thus the poet’s incisive understanding of true love’s craving is a perennial psychological reality which only a poet of the genius of Amjad Islam Amjad could understand and display.

Instead of citing many other of his poems, I have cited only this poem at length to only show Amjad’s unique understanding of human nature, which is the hallmark of all the rest of his poetry. This he achieved through the careful use of similes, metaphors and symbols and became one of the representative voices of his age. One of his admirers remarked that “he is a poet whose lines tug at the hearts of those who have either fallen he was heard and respected for the clarity of his views which were often broadcast from the TV. In one of his TV interviews he held that Urdu as a spoken language will prosper in the world in future and also anticipated that it might become a very popular language in the world. In his view, even at present it was among the top three spoken languages after Chinese and english. Spanish came at Number Four. he was happy with the strides Urdu was making in this global expansion but ruefully held that its script is in danger of being forgotten altogether. Due to the expansion of electronic media and electronic equipment, the people who resort to SMS, smartphones, and the Internet, most people chat with each other using the Roman script instead of the Persian script. Amjad has quoted the famous Urdu fiction writer Ismat Chughtai complaining that her own daughters could not read her books due to their unfamiliarity with the Persian script. Thus according to Amjad, de to our detachment from Urdu book literature and our losing sight of its traditional script, Urdu literacy will suffer and the langage will lose its appeal. The new generation in Pakistan and India mostly write Urdu in Roman or Latin script which is linguistically a bad trend. The popularity of spoken Urdu at present supersedes all other languages of the Subcontinent but it suffers in its printed literacy.In his interview he observed that the proliferation of TV channels has brought the standard of screenplays down, and he was not comfortable with what was happening. he maintained that in Pakistan, poetry is of good quality because Urdu is the country’s national language. Urdu also has economic utility in Pakistan. Amjad bemoaned the fact that after the division of the Subcontinent, Indian national policy included replacement of Urdu words with hindi, which will hit Urdu badly. however, there are rare exceptions and there are a few persons in all departments who ignite a ray of optimism. I spotted one such small but inspiring action on social media. A doctor, an environmentalist from Karachi, stood up to greedy and anti-environment builder, who was bent on clearing the trees planted on streets by the doctor lining his apartment block. The doctor, despite being a busy professional, put up a resolute legal fight and succeeded in saving 130 trees from falling victim to the greedy builder.

Amjad Islam Amjad Amjad was not only a poet of higher sensitivities, but was also a prodigious writer of columns, translations, criticism and essays. But his most distinguished talent appeared as an outstanding playwright for Pakistan TV. his TV dramas of the 70’s and 80’s won him international recognition. his most famous dramas were Waris, Dehleez, Samandar, Raat, Waqt and Apnay Loag which were televised by PTV and which won acclaim from all Urdu-speaking people around the world. he wrote his first drama, Pehla Khel, in 1973. his famous play Waris became a catchword and kept the TV viewers spellbound for a long time.Due to Amjad’s incisive knowledge of feudal life of his country he introduced their dogfights, and their mutual clashes peppered with exceptional dialogue peculiar to that culture, which made Waris the greatest-ever TV production from Pakistan.

Amjad won the love and admiration of his friends and admirers for his exquisite and refreshing views about people, customs, language and culture whenever he appeared in talk shows on TV. he had traveled extensively in most countries of the world and had good knowledge of their people and culture. Sometimes in a year, he visited many countries where he was invited to attend ‘Mushairas’, which journeys he undertook with great relish, and s became a popular poet in the outside world.

Amjad wrote more than 20 books and his well-known poetry compilations include Barzakh, Saathwan Dar, Zara Phir Se Kehna, Khizaan Ka Aakhri Din, Itne Khwab Kahan Rakhunga, Mohabbat Aisa Dariya Hai, to name a few. He was also awarded the Sitara-e-Imtiaz (1998) and Pride of Performance (1987) by the government of Pakistan for his multiple contributions in the field of Arts of his country.

Amjad wrote more than 20 books and his well-known poetry compilations include Barzakh Saathwan Dar Zara Phir Se Kehna, Khizaan Ka Aakhri Din, Itne Khwab Kahan Rakhunga, Mohabbat Aisa Dariya Hai, to name a few. he was also awarded the Sitara-e-Imtiaz (1998) and Pride of Performance (1987) by the government of Pakistan for his multiple contributions in the field of Arts of his country. he kept attending various literary festivals and mushairas till his final days.

The writer is a former member of the provincial civil service and can be contacted atzafar.aziz.ch@gmail.com.

GeNeRALLY, Pakistanis are generous at verbosity and thrifty at action. The majority of the population department officials and workers tasked to promote family planning on average have eight to 12 children of their own, while those in the education department indulge in embezzling funds and encouraging teacher absenteeism.

The police force works to encourage crime and create artificial law and order situations to serve personal interests and does the biding of its political and feudal masters or patrons. The forest department is either helpless or is involved in deforestation and encroachment on rapidly dwindling forest land. The Ministry of Climate Change confines itself to issuing statements and blaming the developed countries, though rightly, for climate change impacts on the developing countries, including Pakistan.

Loud claims of billion tree plantation have not materialised into action. We abhor planting the trees and revel in wiping the thin cover of remaining vegetation. It looks like we actually despise greenery.

If every Pakistani gathers courage to resist the onslaught of deforestation in every nook and corner of Pakistan, and undertakes tree plantation and protection, we can make the country green again, and regain the status of 25 per cent area covered with trees. We can thereby tackle a plethora of problems related to climate change. And, indeed, we can sort things out in different domains of national life by adopting the same approach.

GULSHER PANHWER KARACHI

Islamophobia is exposing West

WhILe Islamophobia in the West is not a new curse plaguing the region, it showed its ugly face in the most extreme form when a Swedish-Danish right-wing extremist desecrated the holy Quran first in Sweden and then in Denmark.

Rasmus Paludan, a dual national who is the leader of the Stram Kurs (hard Line) Party, committed the loathsome act, but what made it more condemn-able was the fact that it was done even though the two governments knew of the plan in advance. In between the two outrageous acts, edwin Wagensveld, a far-right Dutch politician, and leader of the Islamophobic group Pegida, committed a similar vile act in The hague. All the three incidents took place within a week. The current wave of Islamophobia for sure is a new low in europe, which has reminded the world of europe’s own ‘dark hours’ during World War II.

The ‘Fourteenth Report on Islamophobia’, presented at the 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers that was held in March in Islamabad, stated that Islamophobia “is a mixture of fear, hate and prejudice related to Islam that transform into negative sentiments, gestures, racist and intolerant attitude, as well as deliberate act of discriminations against Muslims, insults upon Islamic sacred symbols and venerated figures, and even into violent crimes against people with Islamic attires”. The report also talked about hatred, stigmatisation, racism and discrimination of Muslims on media platforms, at workplaces and in the political sphere.

I have tried to figure out what might have led people in most european countries to nurture the fear of Islam. Is it their fear of Islam and Muslims, or are they involved in such vile acts without even knowing the reason behind their own acts? The politics around the world has added more to the hatred against Islam and Muslims. The hate-laced speeches by populist political leaders have led to a rapid rise in hate crimes, mainly against Muslims living in the West. even former United States president Donald Trump, speaking against the fundamentals of Islam during his official visit to Poland, had asserted: “I am at war against them”. Such statements have fuelled anti-Muslim sentiments across the West, while political leaders for their political gains have been whipping up Islamophobic hysteria, stereotyping and stigmatising Muslims across the world.

A BBC report, ‘europe and right-wing nationalism’ in 2016 told us that electoral gains had been made by far-right political parties in elections held in european countries, like Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, hungry, Finland, Italy, Sweden and Germany, among others. The people in the Western world fear Islam as a concept against modernity, claiming that it is not compatible with democratic values. This certainly seems to be a case of flawed understanding of Islam, or a deliberate attempt to target and tarnish the religion. Islam offers everyone a model of a just society having all the elements put together under the umbrella of human rights. Islam as a religion transformed the world system. It has given rightful status to women in society by protecting their rights. Islam has taught us about collaboration, consultation and cooperation, and that has added more beauty to Muslim societies.

SARANG LATIF KHUHRO KARACHI