Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training signs a deal to air K-12 content on television and digital channels

ISLAMABAD:The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training (MoFEPT) signed three contracts with Knowledge Platform (leading a consortium of four other education technology vendors — Orenda (Taleemabad), SABAQ (Muse), Learning Pitch, and NearPeer) to make K-12 content available across the country through both television and digital channels.

The initiative builds on the success of Tele School during the coronavirus pandemic, during which educational content (provided by Education technology vendors on a Pakistan Television Channel sponsored by MoFEPT) was viewed by over 7 million students.

The content for the television and digital learning program will be provided by a consortium of ed-tech companies led by Knowledge Platform. For Grades ECE-5, Knowledge Platform, SABAQ (Muse) and Orenda (Taleemabad) will provide content for Math, Science, English, and Urdu. For Grades 6-8, Knowledge Platform, Orenda (Taleemabad), and NearPeer will provide content for English, Math, and Science. For Grades 9-12, Knowledge Platform, Learning Pitch, and NearPeer will provide content for Math, English, Urdu, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, and Pakistan Studies.

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The companies will license their content for ECD through K12 to the government, and it will be disseminated via Tele School and digital channels to facilitate learning for over 50,000,000 students across the country. In addition, the consortia will conduct community engagement pilots and research to improve learning outcomes and establish scalable use cases. An accelerated learning program will also be made available for out-of-school children who have dropped out after completion of their primary education.

Speaking at the occasion, Waseem Ajmal Chaudhary, Additional Secretary MOFEPT said “Utilization of digital content in education sector in Pakistan will provide students of every stratum, the access to additional and useful learning methods which make education expedient. It is also important to mention that use of this content will provide students and institutions in even the most far-flung areas, multiple avenues of knowledge. Moreover, this initiative will go a long way in imparting traits of critical thinking and innovation among students in every nook and corner of the country.”

Speaking at the occasion, Mahboob Mahmood, CEO Knowledge Platform noted: “We are pleased that the Ministry and several leading education technology companies have joined hands to address Pakistan’s K-12 education challenges. The program will include at least nine community engagement pilots and intensive research, so we will be able to evolve best practices in the use of education technology across the country.”

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Haroon Yasin, CEO Taleemabad said: “As teachers, we believe that Pakistani students have the potential to be among the top students and professionals across the globe. Partnerships of this sort serve to unlock this potential; putting world-class education at the fingertips of those who have traditionally been left out of the conversation.”

Syed Wajahat, CEO Learning Pitch stated: “Considering the economic crises and significantly rising fuel prices, this initiative will not only help millions of Pakistani students who are facing financial hardship but also accelerate educational technology adoption in Pakistan.”

Hassan Bin Rizwan, CEO SABAQ stated: “After implementing our learning solution in over 2,000 schools across Pakistan, we are excited to work with other partners and the federal government to bring it to millions of kids so they can build a stronger foundation in K-5 subjects.”

Shahrukh Swati, Co-founder Nearpeer stated: “With 45% of the population below the age of 22, Pakistan, as a nation, has huge potential. We can harvest this potential by using the right policies, government interventions, and technology. Nearpeer, being operational since 2017, is proud to be a part of the consortium that is going to impact millions of students and make them fall in love with learning.”