By Jerry E Ibeh
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to grow at an alarming rate, resulting in numerous infections and fatalities across the country, the impact on education has been devastating, with WAEC and NECO announcing the postponement of their annual national exams which always hold between April and June respectively.
Meanwhile, all the newly admitted students into our various universities for the 100 level programme are all at home with no hope of going back to school soon, not also forgotten the over 180 million Jamb (2020) candidates that just concluded their UTME exam with many not getting their result yet, whom their future is yet unknown to them, the once most active sector is now a ghost of its self.
However hope came alive when both state and federal government through its ministries started announcing for an E-Learning/ On Air tutorial both for primary, secondary and higher institutions with the private institutions following suit.
Meanwhile, the big question here is, how effective is this E-Learning/On Air tutorial introduced by federal and state government?
As many students and parents are complaining of not been able to follow the programme on the various platform due to lack of power supply at the time when this programme are been aired some as a result of not having access to the particular TV station.
While most students are complaining that they could not have access to the free subscription and the sites that the federal government promises the Nigerian students through the minister of state for Education, Mr. Emeka Nwajiuba, who has on the 25th of April made this known during the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 daily press briefing in Abuja.
He said the federal government granted free subscription to students during the lockdown as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that some selected sites could now be accessed by the student for free lectures.
Nevertheless Educarenews gathered through some parents and students that they are rather enjoying an online training been conducted by some of their teachers for free, in different portal at their convenience.
Given these unprecedented developments, the COVID-19 crisis has become an education crisis. The Nigeria Governments need to develop swift, coherent and proportionate responses to the pandemic to bring it under control and minimize its impact on the health and livelihood of societies, as well as on children, young people and adults’ right to quality education.
An appropriate response to COVID -19 in the education sector should take into account the rights and best interests of students, teachers and education support personnel and involve education unions in developing the containment and recovery measures.
We will win at last.
