Are Nigerian Tertiary Institutions Ready for Virtual Learning in this Coronavirus Era?

The coronavirus pandemic has brought a pause in almost all the sectors of the Nigerian economy, most especially the education sector. All federal and state owned schools in the country are in lockdown to curb the spread of the virus by the directives from the federal government.

This is a good thing, clearly as it will help to drastically reduce the spread rate that would be caused by the pandemic, but is it a must for schools to be shut down together with academic activities?

Schools were closed down because it was labeled as a “crowded place” by the federal government. But what is a school? This is just a building with classrooms where academic activities are carried out. Academic activities, on the other hand, are the lectures, tests, quizzes, seminars and all other related activities carried out in an academic setting. These two work hand in hand, no doubt, but with the advent of technology, academic activities can now be done without any physical gathering. A very good example for one to visualize the virtual learning is the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), where all lecture materials are on the school webpage, assignments, tests, quizzes, and most academic activities are done online. Before we proceed, let’s get to understand what visual learning really is.

What is Virtual Learning?

As earlier, explained, Virtual learning is a learning experience that is enhanced through utilizing computers and/or the internet both outside and inside the facilities of the educational organization. The instruction most commonly takes place in an online environment. The teaching activities are carried out online whereby the teacher and learners are physically separated (in terms of place, time, or both).

How would Virtual Learning help in this pandemic era?

Virtual learning is literally the only way for school activities to continue in this lockdown period. It is not certain when this lockdown will be lifted, and when things will go back as usual, but with the ever increasing number of cases everyday, one would know for sure, it will stay for a while. With all schools adopting the virtual learning approach, academic activities will not be affected by the pandemic.

Are Nigerian Tertiary Institutions Ready for Virtual Learning?

Private-owned institutions have already shown readiness in transiting to the visual learning programme. Infact institutions like Skyline University, Kano, American University of Nigeria (AUN), Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Ajayi Crowther University, Covenant University and a host of others are already making use of the virtual learning system. You will get to know that both the students and lecturers are technology oriented, but the case is far-fetched in the public institutions, who have shown little or no plans to adopt the virtual learning approach. Infact, even the National Open University, Nigeria (NOUN) recently started online facilitation, this is a university that is suppose to be in the fore front when it comes to virtual learning but here we are. Let us not even make it a yardstick for other institutions, especially, the first, second and third generation institutions that have been in existence decades before NOUN. All these institutions are suppose to have backup plans should in case situations like this one now ever play out.

So far, so good, it is only institutions like the University of Lagos (UNILAG), the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede and Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) that have made a move into the virtual learning process. This is commendable as other competing institutions would pick it up as a challenge and follow suit. But, there’s always a but; Are the students and lecturers ready for virtual learning?

Are the Nigerian Students Ready to adopt the Virtual Learning System?

It is commendable to know that almost all the programmes offered in tertiary institutions in Nigeria, there is always at least one computer information technology related course that introduce and make students familiar with technology. But how many computer laboratory and practical are been carried out in these schools? You will just find a few that do have the computer laboratory and that do have functional systems and gadgets and tech know-how. It is good to teach these courses in schools, but without the practical, the students cannot be able to use those devices and systems in the real life. The situation on ground now requires the practical use of such devices and systems, but sadly, most tertiary institutions in this country have not prepare the students for such situation.

Are the Nigerian Lecturers Ready to Adopt the System?

The educational system has always been: “a student today, a lecturer tomorrow”, this is just to remind you that all the lecturers you see today were once students and that they passed through this same system. Also, you will find out that most lecturers in tertiary institutions did their first degrees education when there was little or no advance technology like we have now. All these lecturers, if they don’t go for courses that will orient them on technology are equally not fit to go virtual.

Are the Nigerian Tertiary Institutions Ready to Adopt the Virtual Learning System?

Most official websites of Nigerian tertiary institutions tend to crash whenever the school is either selling its admission form, releasing its Post UTME result, or even checking admission status. All these are attributed to either a very bad web hosting plan, poor service providers, poor web managers etc. another issue are bad servers and poor ICT team, you will also find out that some schools don’t even have a standard ICT centres. If an institution does not have all these in place, they are not ready to go virtual.

Conclusion:

It does not stop here, even when the students, lecturers and the institutions are ready to go virtual there are still some factors that might still hinder it. These factors will be the subject of my next article.