Dr. Bahaa Helmy Writes: Distance Learning, One of the Gains of the Lockdown

In crisis there is opportunity, according to the term for crisis in the Chinese language, which consists of two words (JI-WET): the first word means danger, while the second means the opportunity that can be harnessed from this danger. Hence we can say that the corona crisis and the accompanying confinement of most of the population of the world's countries to their homes, including Egypt of course — despite the negative effects and human losses, the halting of production, the disruption of business and rising unemployment, the direct effect on people's incomes and livelihoods, the closure of schools, universities and institutes in light of the ban on gatherings of all kinds, and the other material effects that have been reflected negatively on the economic situation in all countries of the world — nevertheless has a bright side, namely the creation of a suitable environment for using the lockdown period to qualify and train students at the various educational stages, whether in basic, secondary or university education, in the skills of distance learning. The Minister of Education faced a war and a counter-campaign on social media from various persons and bodies, aided by the rumors promoted by the machine of the terrorist group and by vested interests among those who benefit from the education system, whether supervisors of the administration or placement committees and of the selection of examination and control committees, or the mafia of textbook printing, the owners of external study guides, parents and others influenced by the fallacies being promoted or by resistance to change, forming a wall of resistance to abolish the tablet system and keep the old method that brought us to the bottom of the world rankings in education — even though the tablet system aims at an easy transition for the student and the teacher from the traditional method, which relies on stereotyped paper books heavy in their subjects, style and weight, to training in technology and distance learning while making use of the Knowledge Bank. After the corona crisis forced more than 849 million children and young people affected by the closure of schools and universities in 113 countries, according to UNESCO statistics, to resort to distance learning relying on communications infrastructure and the culture of dealing with modern technology, its application in Egypt was inevitable. Fortunately, the political leadership and the Egyptian government had taken the lead in developing the communications system and networks, out of the belief that investment in communications and information technology is one of the promising investments now and in the future, which had a positive effect on the efficiency of communications at the national level and on bearing the burden of the heavy load resulting from Egyptians' interaction with social media around the clock. The Minister of Education succeeded in seizing this opportunity and came out to explain, in a calm and refined manner on social media, how to benefit from virtual learning and the methods of interaction between the lecturer or teacher and the trainees, and how to benefit from e-learning by training students in how to carry out research of a few pages in the various subjects; the director of the Egyptian Banking Institute also helped explain these means on a number of satellite channels, as it is a training institute affiliated with the Central Bank that enjoys a distinguished regional and international standing in the field of distance learning. The Minister of Education touched on the psychological side that is the greatest worry of parents and students — passing and failing and total marks — announcing that the idea is based on assessing the strengths and weaknesses of each student in order to support him and help him excel, and on abolishing the traditional thinking based on marks, private lessons and the multiplicity of education systems, which prevents the desired development from being carried out. It is clear that the children's benefit from this rich and useful experience depends on the extent of parents' conviction and responsibility in trusting the state's orientation towards building the personality of the Egyptian pupil and shaping his national awareness, and on the amount of trust the parents give them, instilling in the children a spirit of challenge and self-reliance and developing their self-directed research skills. It is also a crossing of the first hurdle in the process of change and the development of the educational process in Egypt, paving the way for it to occupy an advanced position worldwide in education, culture, medicine, technology and all sciences within the next twenty years.