According to the latest figures released by UNESCO, some 1.3 billion learners around the world were not able to attend school or university as of March 23, 2020 because of country-wide shutdowns. Another 284 million learners are being affected in some way by closures at a localized level.
In Africa, risk-control measures in countries such as Nigeria, South Africa and Ghana have led millions of students into temporary ‘home-schooling’ situations. These changes have caused a degree of disruptions and inconvenience, but they have also offered a glimpse of possible educational innovations can be deployed to improve outcomes.
Africa’s school system should not be the same after COVID-19. Centuries-old, lecture-based approaches to teaching, entrenched institutional biases, and outmoded classrooms must give way to more innovative systems. Pedagogical styles must change and made fit for purpose. Virtual schools, online courses and learning and access to computers and internet should be priorities as the quality of learning is heavily dependent on the level and quality of digital access. With only around 20-30% of its population online and the cost of digital devices and data plans beyond the roof, virtual classes on personal tablets may not work. However, using less data intensive mechanisms such as WhatsApp or email will ensure that less affluent and digitally savvy students and families are not left behind. Reducing access costs and improving quality of access increase will close the gap in education quality and enhance socioeconomic equality.
Girls education must receive special attention.
Educational infrastructure must be upgraded as part of investments to rehabilitate and expand neglected health and social infrastructure. Bathrooms and hand-washing stations should be provided to improve sanitation. This should be accompanied by regular cleaning and intense education, including as part of the syllabus and school curriculum, on personal hygiene and the proper use and disposal of waste products.
Parental involvement in teaching and learning should be recognized and strengthened to complement the work of school authorities. This could include organizing literacy and parental classes for parents and engaging them in decision-making. Where feasible, the idea of parent-teacher interviews should be introduced to keep parents informed of progress and to also strengthen parent-school relations.
Similarly public-private learning consortiums and coalitions with diverse stakeholders – including governments, publishers, education professionals, technology providers, and telecom network operators should be established to utilize digital platforms to provide access to resources. These public-private platforms can replace or complement government, which predominantly has been the provider of education and accompanying resources in most countries. This is precisely what is happening in China where the Ministry of Education has assembled a group of diverse constituents to develop a new cloud-based, online learning and broadcasting platform as well as to upgrade a suite of education infrastructure, led by the Education Ministry and Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Through this initiative, students will gain access to educational assets, including videos, book chapters, assessment tools, and counseling services for free.
New childcare spaces should be provided to meet the needs essential and frontline health workers.
Instead of being seen as inimical to modern education, the schools under trees concept should be promoted as nature and open air classrooms to enable social distancing as well encourage exploration, curiosity and the love of nature.
