Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has inaugurated a national broadcast education channel to mitigate the loss faced by the students due to the closure of educational institutions till May 31 in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Teleschool — the dedicated TV channel — will be aired from Tuesday across the country from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for online education from class one to 12, reports Dawn news.

Speaking at the launch ceremony on Monday, Khan said that Teleschool would help students learn during the closure of schools.

This initiative would also help the government reach the remote areas, which didn't have access to education facilities and infrastructure, he added.

Khan said that no one could predict when COVID-19 would be eliminated, as it could take two, three or six months, and hence this project was highly productive in the given circumstances.

Education Ministry officials told Dawn news that the dedicated TV channel would be available on satellite, terrestrial and cable networks so that it would be accessible to most parts of the country, including hard-to-reach remote areas, ensuring equity in learning.

An official said that the Ministry initially inked an agreement with Pakistan Television (PTV) for three months, but if needed it could be extended as the Prime Minister also expressed his desire for the project's continuation.

Joint Secretary (Education) Syed Umair Javed, who had supervised the content development process, told Dawn news that online content was developed in accordance with the country's curriculum and it was made attractive for students.

"The credit of making this project possible in less than a month goes to unsung heroes: content developers, teachers and staff of Federal Directorate of Education, editors, techs and producers of Allama Iqbal Open University and PTV," he said.