To reduce the morbidity and slow the spread of COVID-19 most governments compelled to temporarily close educational institutions around the world as preventive measures. This is because of reviewing evidences from previous outbreaks of infectious diseases shown that transmission of an outbreak may be delayed by closing educational institutions. Suspension of face-to-face teaching at primary/elementary and secondary schools has led to concerns about consequences for students’ learning. Schools closure in South Asian and African countries bring massive loss to students’ learning as well as discrimination to ensure inclusive learning.
Considering virtual platforms for learning as critical lifeline
for education during the pandemic, educational institutions of above-mentioned
countries began conducting classes via video-telephony such as Google Meet
and Zoom. Because of non-availability of Internet facilities to all parts of
the country and lacking of digital devices to students of poor families, most
governments also introduced remote learning through television, radio, mobile
phones etc to keep students in the learning process. Considering
massive number of students who don’t have digital device facilities,
governments like Bangladesh has taken offline initiatives for ensuring their
learning too. Initiatives like submission of assignments by parents/guardians
at secondary tier and supplying uniform lesson plan wise work sheets to
students by visiting homes or suitable place convenient to neighbourhood
students by teachers at primary tier etc are instances of government
contribution to continue learning among students during the pandemic. Despite
of taking online and offline initiatives, governments of above-mentioned
countries failed to ensure inclusive learning because of majority of students’
absence to access to virtual platforms or digital devices for utilizing
provided alternatives sources for learning.
The learning loss due to the pandemic is indisputable. Learning losses
cause forgetting what students had learnt earlier and losing foundational
abilities such as reading with understanding and performing four basic
operations in mathematics, which are the basis of further learning. Students
will be pushed towards more complex learning abilities of the new class with
the losses. As undergone learning losses because of
school closure can never be compensated fully, therefore post-pandemic
education in South Asia and Africa demands following initiatives to be
considered enabling students to recover lost learning that may be useful for
next class learning.
Students with poor reading skills and lacking of performing four
basic operations in mathematics may be identified.
Remedial measures might be taken to regain lost reading skills and foundational
abilities in mathematics assigning class wise teacher for supporting.
At the outset of imparting teaching in the classroom, teachers
need to review subject wise previous class contents that have linkage to
present contents. Regards to ensure this class time and contact hour must be
increased.
“Home and Neighbourhood Schooling” may be introduced to recover
forgotten previous class learning, strengthen reading skills, support to
prepare school lessons etc where parents/relatives and volunteer teachers
(Retired teachers, Local High School/College students) respectively act as
facilitators/instructors. A teacher may bring Home & Neighbourhood
Schooling activities of a particular area under supervision.
Broadcasting of lessons on Television and Radio/Mobile Phone Radio
might be continued to keep the provision of utilizing alternative sources of
learning to mitigate the losses due to COVID-19.
Outbreak of the COVID-19 like pandemic may not be a one time
infectious disaster as world community has bitter experiences of facing immense
affect of these types of outbreaks in the past. As overall development of a
country mostly depends on educated and skilled workforces, therefore South
Asian and African countries pivotally requires keeping future generations in
learning process fighting against COVID like disasters. Therefore, schools
should have the practices of conducting online classes for every grade once in
a week by using Google Meet/virtual platforms confirming preparation to
mitigate learning losses combating against the pandemics. Regarding this,
initiatives might be taken so that all students may have digital devices for
ensuring access to online learning. In addition, parents may be encouraged to
use smart phone/digital devices ensuring the lowest price of digital devices
only for them as well as governments may consider providing of smart mobile
phone/Tab to students of poor families. Moreover, initiatives may be taken so
that speedy Internet facilities may become available to schools and adjacent
areas.
Last but not the least, teachers should have commitment and
ownership to make the initiatives of compensating learning losses a success by
motivating learners and parents to contribute sincerely as well as giving extra
efforts by themselves.
Md Bayazid Khan
auparbayazidkhan@gmail.com
The writer is working for E4E in Bangladesh as volunteer co-ordinator.
