The Ministry of Education has launched a distance learning website for school students, an alternative plan for education service delivery during the pandemic in Afghanistan.

The ministry said Thursday that it has launched the online education services as the lockdown continues across the country.

“This website is accessible from today and the educational programs have been uploaded in audio and video formats,” said Mirwais Balkhi, the Acting Minister of Education.

“According to this plan, a series of preparations have been made. The school’s subjects are divided into two sections: social sciences and science. Social sciences from grades 7 to 12 are self-taught and its guidelines have been prepared and will be announced soon. Students should read these subjects at home, including languages,” Balkhi added.

The plan is prepared only for those students who have access to the Internet, but the rest of the students would attend classes after considering precautions to prevent contracting with the virus, the ministry noted

“Education TV in 17 studios records up to 90 lessons a day in Persian and Pashto. These lessons are reviewed by another team and then uploaded to the website and broadcast on RTA,” Balkhi said.

Meanwhile, Balkhi points out that if the lockdown was ended 15 days ahead of the midterm exams, the students will be tested, otherwise, all courses that students take at home will be assessed and graded at the end of the year.