Swine flu prompts virtual learning in Egypt

As the approach of winter raises concerns about a fiercer wave of swine flu infections, several Egyptian universities have announced the launch of the country’s first virtual learning initiative.

Lectures will be transmitted via satellite channels and the internet as well as through video conferencing as part of a plan to decrease the density of students in lecture rooms, said Dr. Adel Zayed, vice-president of Cairo University.

"Lectures will be transmitted on Cairo University's two channels on the Egyptian satellite Nilesat," he told Al Arabiya. "A third channel will also be launched for the same purpose."

The aim of the university, Zayed added, is to make sure the number of students in each lecture room does not exceed 300. Some classes contain as many as 3,000 students in some schools like the Faculty of Arts, Law, and Commerce.

"Imagine if a student who carries the virus enters a classroom that has this number of students. It will be a disaster."

The academic year in Egypt was postponed till Oct. 3 to allow university administrators to upgrade ventilation systems in classrooms to minimize the possibility of contacting the virus.

Posters have been hung at several Egyptian universities advising students of the e-learning initiative.

"It is our pleasure to present to you all lectures on daily basis," said one of the flyers posted in all bookstores around university areas.

However, some said the alternative was inefficient and argued it would never be the same as going to class.

Parents will also never understand that their children are watching TV as a means to learn

Adel Saad, bookstore owner

Students will never flip through satellite channels in order to search for lectures, said Adel Saad, owner of a bookstore that sells textbooks.

"Parents will also never understand that their children are watching TV as a means to learn," he told Al Arabiya.

But government officials defended the distant learning initiative and said it had other advantages apart from protection against swine flu.

The virtual education system also allows the students to interact with the teacher as if they are in a classroom, said Dr. Reda Abou Serea, Deputy Minister of Education.

"This is applied to schools as well," he told Al Arabiya. "A classroom in a public school has at least 50 students and this is very dangerous in the light of the current spread of swine flu."

The system of virtual education was launched a few years ago with emphasis on the internet and video conferencing as part of the government's education plan. Although at the time students did not express interest in this new learning alternative, it has become a must now that the threat of swine flu is remarkably increasing.

The swine flu virus is expected to become more severe during the winter season, said immunity expert Dr. Abdel-Hadi Misbah.

"That is why it is very important to consider the option of distant learning," he told Al Arabiya. "Measures have to be strict. Otherwise, a disaster is bound to happen," he concluded.

(Translated from the Arabic by Sonia Farid)