Post-pandemic education in South Asia and Africa requires innovation in learning

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.