Monitoring Karachi colleges through WhatsApp videos impractical, unethical: academics

By
Arshad Yousafzai
|

  • Academics reject idea of monitoring colleges through WhatsApp videos
  • Newly appointed monitoring and evaluation director of the Directorate of Colleges, Karachi had said he will be monitoring public colleges through WhatsApp video calls
  • Teachers at women colleges says colleges will not allow this because it could hurt the privacy of women students and teachers


Monitoring colleges through WhatsApp is impractical an unethical, say academics.

They were responding to a recent decision by the Directorate of Colleges Karachi monitoring and evaluation director to monitor public colleges through WhatsApp video calls.

A notification addressing the principals and administrators of of government colleges was issued for it too on Thursday. It said information provided by them would be crosschecked and verified through video calls on WhatsApp.

Read more: Pakistan decides to reopen schools after two-month break amid coronavirus pandemic 

“During the video call, the officers of the directorate of monitoring and evaluation may also like to view the class activities, laboratories and condition of the infrastructure,” the notification read.

But college staff and the Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association (SPLA) are not pleased.

Teachers at women colleges said colleges will not allow this because it could hurt the privacy of women students and teachers. 

SPLA spokesperson Azizullah Memon said the monitoring and evaluation department should resolve the longstanding problems of the colleges instead of coming up with "hilarious" announcements. 

Read more: What information does WhatsApp collect from its users?

The basic function of the monitoring and evaluation department is to facilitate education by providing missing facilities, Memon said, adding that officers sometimes did not understand what their job was.

He called for monitoring officials to upgrade libraries and laboratories and make efforts to overcome the shortage of teachers.