The Corona Virus Pandemic which has been ravaging Nigeria in particular and the entire world in general is said to have been in existence since 2019.
This has been the greatest pandemic in our generation, and probably since human existence, there has been no disease which has threatened the world economically, socially, politically, religiously and academically like Coronavirus Pandemic.
This dreaded disease, if you like use the word virus, has sent scores of the world population early grave, it cost a total lockdown, though the lockdown did not happen simultaneously, the truth is that before the partial relaxation of the lockdown in Nigeria, every other country in the world had it own lockdown at one time or the other. Sad enough, the religious institutions and the schools at all level seems to be the worst hit.
The assertion is proven, because every other business worldwide and academic institutions remain closed. The argument remains that schools and the religious bodies are the easiest means of spreading COVID-19.
My thought is centered on what happens to Nigeria Educational system after the COVID-19 pandemic. It is my humble opinion to say that the system may never remain the same again.
The educational system is likely to grow worse than it was before COVID -19, given what owners of private schools and their teachers are going through this time, the most owners of private schools refused to pay teachers salaries from the month of March till date. Thereby making it look as if it were a curse to choose teaching as a profession. The government owned schools are happier because government at all levels has been paying their teachers. The question is “has anybody shown concern about the welfare of the teachers in private schools, do they not have families? Do they not live in rented apartments? Having considered the above, schools will be adversely affected after this pandemic. This is because the teachers, who are suffering hunger and a series of humiliation, would have thought twice of either to quit the profession or survive in a hard way. From all indications, the students and the pupils are at the receiving end. There might be empty classes full of students devoid of teachers.
More so, there would be absolute academic backwardness on the part of the students. The truth is that the zest with which the students wanted to go back to school after the first month of the lock down is no more there. Most of the students have taken to one trade or the other. Some of them the kind of money they have never had, so school can go to hell.
Furthermore, post COVID-19, will generate many ghost workers of government owned schools some of the teachers would utilize this opportunity to change jobs and they would not want to resign from their teaching jobs because of the millions of naira they would be paid after retirement, for that to be possible, there would be gratification between the headship of schools and the affected teachers.
Another factor would be population depletion. The states that were seriously ravaged might have more number of deaths, if mortality rate is high on the school age, the school in such a state would be depopulated. If the death rate affected the adults, many teachers might die and this would equally affect education sector.
On the other hand, the COVID-19 pandemic might bring about migration, this type of movement might as well affect the education sector, while some areas are densely populated, other areas would be sparsely populated.
In conclusion, however, we look at the educational system post COVID-19, it might never be the same again, and there would certainly be system collapse. In reality, both government and the private sector have not played their roles with commitment and sincerity.
I pray that post COVID-19 would be an eye opener in the education sector.
Article Written by
Sir Lordbethels Thompson
