Pakistan has positioned itself at the forefront of a global educational revolution with the launch of an innovative framework designed for the digital age. Following a high-level meeting at the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, the country unveiled the Deca-Archic Phygital Literacy Model, described as the nation's first comprehensive phygital literacy framework.
A New Blueprint for Learning
The pivotal discussion involved Wajiha Qamar, Minister of State for Federal Education and Professional Training, and the acclaimed interdisciplinary researcher Prof Dr Aurangzeb Hafi. Their dialogue centered on this novel model, which provides a structured conceptual framework for merging 'In Real Life' (IRL) and 'In Virtual Life' (IVL) education systems. A spokesperson for the Asia & Oceania Post-Doctoral Academia (AOPDA) confirmed the development, noting the model maintains clear boundaries between the physical and digital realms while facilitating their integration.
Central to the framework is the distinction between the Real Life Data (RLD) System and the Cyber-space Data (CSD) system. To analyze the interplay between these two worlds, Prof Hafi introduced a pioneering analytical tool called 'Phygital Differential Calculus.' This concept is designed to assess how learners absorb and process information across different environments.
Addressing Digital Age Challenges
The Deca-Archic model directly confronts two critical issues born from rapid digitization. Firstly, it aims to close the growing divide between how information is processed in the real world versus in cyberspace. Secondly, it empowers learners to critically evaluate algorithmically generated digital content, scrutinizing its credibility, intent, and underlying purpose.
The framework also sounds a cautionary note, warning against an unregulated drift towards cyberspace-dominated data. It argues that an over-dependence on digital platforms, without proper balance, could undermine core educational values. Within this context, the model identifies two distinct literacy patterns in phygital learning:
- A cognitively perceptual pattern linked to deep understanding and reasoning.
- An ostensibly perceptual pattern associated with surface-level engagement with information.
A Multi-Dimensional Educational Fabric
A defining strength of Pakistan's model is its commitment to preserving education's fundamental essence. The framework is built around ten interconnected 'archs' that offer a layered approach to learning design and policy. These dimensions include:
Existential, definitional, circumstantial, experiential, contextual, sequential, longitudinal, latitudinal, and cross-sectional.
While phygital literacy is an emerging global concept explored by scholars like Santiago Batista-Toledo and Diana Gavilan of Complutense University of Madrid, and institutions like Columbia, Stanford, and Bocconi University, AOPDA asserts that Pakistan's Deca-archic model marks a significant leap forward. It positions the country as a serious contributor to shaping 21st-century educational transformation.
Prof Hafi, recognized as a polymath with expertise in education theory and digital epistemology, has focused his work on reconciling technological progress with human cognition and ethics. Following its official launch, the model is slated for presentation at prestigious forums including the National Postdoctoral Academia (NPA), AOPDA, the South Asian Interdisciplinary Research Initiative (SAIRI), and UNESCO.
In a message of congratulations, Dr. Ekanayake Mudiyanselage Navaratne, Senior Provost of AOPDA and former adviser to Sri Lankan presidents, hailed the model as a "ground-breaking contribution" and a "monumental breakthrough for emerging educational blends." He praised the initiative for presenting a paramount climax of transformative 21st-century approaches.
