The coronavirus has affected European countries more than African countries. It has damaged various sectors in the world such as the economic and education sectors. Many learning institutions across the globe are not open since they appear to be hotspots for the virus spread.
Learning is a fundamental sector in society, many governments are improvising ways of how students might continue learning despite the closure. The most ideal alternative is through online learning, which has thrived in European countries.
Online learning is quite a new thing in most African countries and therefore poses challenges to most African states. The experts are encouraging young children to turn up on television educative programs to catch up with their studies. Distance learning may involve homeschooling or Teachers’ Room.
Online Learning In African Countries
Massamba Gueye, a teacher-researcher in Senegal says, “This is to prevent coronavirus from winning where it hurts the most, in the area of knowledge,”
Education is important in Africa since it equips young people with knowledge and skills for solving African problems.
Futurs Medias, owned by Youssou Ndour, offers lectures 3 times every single day. This brings a total of about 15 lessons per very learning week. Ageeci, the General Association of Pupils and Students of Ivory Coast, says the resumption of learning is unimportant for now.
In Burkina Faso, the Burkina info private television shows lessons 4 times every single day for the students preparing for exams.
Ismael Ouedraogo, the director of the channel, says “We record the lessons, which we broadcast on television, basically the core subjects: mathematics, physics-chemistry, philosophy and French,”
There are different formats across the African region. For example, in Ivory Coast, the Ivorian newly established businesses are giving learning courses through text messages. For now, it is a free service but becomes a paying service later in the future.
Private institutions and higher learning institutions are searching online learning ways through the internet platform.
Challenges Of Online Learning
Despite the positivity of learning online, there are many challenges that the participants face. For example, in Cameroon, there are problems with the electricity supply and in turn, the students are suffering.
This poses an inequality challenge since the students with the resources can follow up with online studies but vice-versa for others. For online learning to take place, people need to have access to the internet and computers. Conversely, this is not the case with students living in rural areas.
These students have challenges accessing the internet and the high cost related to it. Various students across the continent also lack the means and skills in operating these devices such as computers and laptops.
In the sub-Saharan region of Africa, over 80% of the students do not have access to devices or access to connectivity. Millions of students live in areas that do not have a proper mobile network.
Many more students lack access to televisions and good radios. However, the biggest challenge of distance learning is the lack of teacher-student conversations. In this case, neither the teacher can test a student to know if he has understood nor a student can ask questions for clarity purposes.
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