THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION IN POST COVID

The Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has no doubt adversely affected the global economy. It has forced many businesses to temporarily shut down and governments across the world to place a restriction on movement while exempting providers of essential services who are to strictly observe social distancing rules while providing services as a way to contain the spread of the virus. The spread of the coronavirus initially spared Nigeria, like many other African countries, with zero recorded case as of January 2020. This luck, however, did not last. By the 28th of February, Nigeria reported its first case; a Nigerian UK returnee. Nearly two months, 343 confirmed cases, 91 recoveries and 10 deaths Nigeria have a pressing cause for concern.

The Federal Ministry of Education announced the temporary close-down of all schools in Nigeria, effective March 23rd, in a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Considering the state of Nigeria’s education sector, pertinent questions arose: Do schools in Nigeria have the technology to cater for the 46 million students affected? Do households have the facilities to engage their children in remote learning? Do teachers have the resources to deliver live lessons or record a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) styled lessons?

Unlike other countries, the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Education’s school-closure directive did not come with any clear-cut policy measures on how to mitigate learning disruptions for children or how to address the digital divide.

It follows that education is not paramount to the Nigerian government at this time. The only well-documented response is the Nigeria Education in Emergency Working Group (NWiWwg) Strategy published on April 7th. The objective of the strategy is to mitigate the negative impact of school closures on students and teachers in North-East Nigeria.

As schools around the world transition to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, students, parents, and educators are all wondering what this means for education in the future. While it may seem difficult to predict how the future will unfold during such uncertain times, some of the most pioneering work happening around us can guide us in our thinking.

Children on the higher end of the socio-economic spectrum may experience less disruption to their learning because their private schools are well-equipped with ICT infrastructure and they can afford remote learning resources at home. The majority that would be left struggling are the students from vulnerable and disadvantaged backgrounds, who do not have access to computers and other devices outside school. In many cases, these children live in communities with poor or non-existent internet connectivity and unreliable power supply. Inevitably, this digital divide will exacerbate the learning disparities among these children.

Historically, digital education has often been viewed as the “free version” of traditional education, or the second-best option available for under-resourced communities that do not have access to traditional education, for example a country like Ghana reduced it tuition fee because it is believed that online lectures are more cheaper in and some countries, online lectures are free. However, this may not be the case going forward for some countries, country like Nigeria with unstable electricity, poor internet and expensive data, might find it difficult to adopt the online learning platform.

Temporary school closures mean educators, funders and policymakers are rethinking the way education is delivered and accessed by students. In China, for instance, governments are providing computers to students from low-income households and offering mobile data packages and telecommunication subsidies. In France, efforts are being made to lend devices to students who do not have access to computers. Similarly, Portugal is partnering with postal services to deliver working sheets to students who do not have access to the internet at home.

In Nigeria, state governments (e.g. Ogun, Oyo and Lagos) are adopting local media channels such as radio programmes to reach out to students in remote communities. The quality of such educational programmes, however, is not within the scope of this article.

The government could further mitigate the negative impacts of COVID-19 on education by providing solar-powered educational devices, pre-loaded with offline academic resources, to students in disadvantaged and vulnerable communities, such as the tablets used in Sun Books project.

The Nigeria Education in Emergency Working Group (NWiWwg) Strategy could also be scaled-up to include other regions in the country. Of course, these policy measures would require significant financial investment, but such investment is worthwhile for the progress of the economy in the long-term. Looking ahead, it is pertinent to ensure learning never stops during this pandemic.

As stated by the World Poverty Clock, the nation currently has about 50% of her population living in poverty, with many of the citizens struggling to afford three square meals, especially at this time, despite the palliative measures by the government. This means that there are a lot of students who do not have access to either radio or television, coupled with the issue of erratic power supply. Such students also have no internet access nor educational technological resources, a situation that is creating a gap in their academic progress for as long as this pandemic persists.

To cushion the effects of the pandemic, the world is embracing technological innovations. Virtual interactions are increasingly adopted to replace face-to-face engagements and limit the total disruption to many sectors. UNESCO has recommended the use of distance learning programmes, open educational applications, and platforms by schools and teachers to reach learners remotely.

These could include integrated digital learning platforms, video lessons, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), and broadcast through radio and television. The success of these recommendations’ hinges on the use of high-technology or low-technology solutions, which are based on the reliability of local power supply, internet connectivity and digital skills of teachers, students, parents, and caretakers.

Obviously, COVD-19 is magnifying the educational inequity in Nigeria as only those with access to digital learning resources will keep learning in the comfort of their homes while those without access (the majority) are left behind.

Now is the time to bridge the gap of educational inequity by ensuring adequate funding of the education sector. The effect of the pandemic is just one out of many implications of educational inequity, we don’t know what awaits us in the future, so it is highly important that we provide an equitable and inclusive learning environment for the students to ensure continuity in learning for all, irrespective of their socio-economic background. One of the palliative measures that can be adopted includes a public-private partnership with non-profits and other government agencies who are working to salvage the situation. Such efforts can be supported through the provision of funds at this critical time. We should not forget that education is the bedrock of every society as education is the solution to whatever problem we might have.

It is suggested that portable solar radios be provided to each family especially in remote places. This will ensure continuity in learning for the majority of learners who are unable to access digital learning resources during this period. Also, teachers need to be trained on how best to deliver radio lessons. Such training can be done using virtual platforms. Sincere appreciation goes to the teachers working assiduously in delivering lessons on radio despite the short notice and lack of training for such context because teaching in a conventional four-walled classroom is quite different from teaching on radio and so it is important to know how best to carry it out so as to achieve best results. This wakeup call will definitely propel us to keep ruminating on other solutions at bridging the gap of educational inequity during this period and making it happen by all means.

Let us remember that whatever the problem is, education remains the solution. The future is in our hands to decide, let us join hands together to make the world a better place through quality and inclusive education.