Virtual Learning, Nigerian Students And A Faulty System, By Tijani Abdulkabeer

OLU, a first-year student of a university in the South-West, was a few minutes away from classes on a Monday morning, when he dropped a voice note in his class’ Whatsapp group, appealing to his colleagues to give him motivation. While responses to this note were being processed, another student identified as Kunle also poured out his mind on how the new learning model had been tiring and the bulk of issues he had to attend to if he truly wanted to come out good at the end of the semester. Some other members of the class expressed displeasure about the virtual learning modalities and the non-responsive attitude of the management towards simplifying the problems identified and paying attention to student plight. These and several others were the lamentations of students who have been forced to accept the reality of virtual learning in the institution. Though this might be a personal encounter, at least it speaks the minds of several undergraduates in institutions that have adopted virtual learning. If one would be honest, the education system in Nigeria is deeply stuck in the stagnant water of mechanisation while the current situation speaks closely to a nation still in slumber.

From the archaic model of teaching to underfunding, lack of evaluations, and performance management policies, for years, citizens lament the free fall of the system, such that it has become a laughing stock in the comity of nations. Students learn under the worst conditions – under trees – in the sun and on bare floors. The afflictions in this sector are so frustrating that they cause tears in the eyes of parents who do not have the required human capital to properly fund their children’s education. The sector is in darkness and is full of absolute deception. Favoritism, nepotism—we have all in no small quantities and yet the self-centeredness of our leaders is unparalleled. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, and from that period onward, the virus spread at a geometric rate. Since the outbreak, many countries as part of their strategic measures have imposed various restrictive policies. Nigeria, like many other nations of the world,d was hit hard by the virus and to this end, the government at different levels placed various restrictions in order towards ensuring that the virus does not spread beyond the known victims.

In the wake of this virus outbreak, we were hit with a ravaging effect, most especially because our school activities were drastically affected. In a recent report by UNESCO, it was revealed that an estimated 1.725 billion learners have been affected as a result of school closures, representing about 99.9 per cent of the world’s student population as of April, 13th, 2020. In response to these statistics, developed countries are embracing technological innovations. Virtual learning is increasingly adopted to limit the total disruption in this sector and even UNESCO recommended the use of distance learning programs, open educational applications, and platforms by schools and teachers to reach learners remotely. Sadly, the unpreparedness of our government for situations like this makes this impossible to achieve. Poverty is one of the factors that makes it impossible. As stated by the World Poverty Clock, the nation currently has about 50 per cent of the population living in poverty, with many citizens struggling to afford three square meals, despite the palliatives measures by the government. There are lots of students who do not have access to food and shelter, television and smartphones. Then there is the issue of erratic power supply. Such students do not have access to the internet or educational resources, a situation that would keep on creating gaps in their academic progress for as long as this pandemic persists.

We all are back in school but we are now in a different dimension. The turnout of events in recent times has exposed the unpreparedness of the management  of schools. Indeed, a pharmacy student of a university in Lagos State expressed displeasure with the way the virtual classes were conducted by the school management. She narrated to this writer how the management left them on an island on their own, as students sourced for data connection to join classes. She said: “If I am to grade it, I will give it a 4/10. It was not introduced because the government was particular about advancement, it all happened because of COVID-19.Lecturers were just dropping slides on the learning platform and cases of lab tests that dealt with preparations ended up with jargons. I couldn’t do practicas, and what if my job requirements demands for it?”.

Another student also described the multidimensional issues she had to face as a result of the new normal. She decried the state of the learning platform and told this writer of how a larger portion of the class lost 20 marks to a test that was slated for 5 minutes at the expense of the site traffic.“Just imagine, I had a biology test slated to hold for five minutes, and considering the congested traffic on the site, it was difficult for over 2,000 students in my faculty to access the test page at the same time. Before I could load the page to get the questions, three minutes had gone, yet lecturers threaten to take the record.”

Abdulkabeer is a student of the University of Ibadan.