EFFECT OF CORONAVIRUS COVID 19 PANDEMIC ON NIGERIA EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IN NIGERIA TERTIARY INSTITUTION
CHAPTER ONE
Background to the study
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Nigeria is part of the worldwide pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus
Education is another sector that has been impacted by Covid 19 pandemic. The pandemic led to the closure of schools across the country. Prior to the pandemic, the Nigeria government has been struggling to ensure that it provide quality education to her growing youthful population, and reduce the school dropout rate. But this situation is made worst with the Covid-19 pandemic as only limited number of children from fairly confortable homes can afford to provide online education for their children, thereby living the greater number of children poorly educated during the lockdown. According to the United Nations,COVID-19 pandemic has created the largest disruption of education systems in history, affecting nearly 1.6 billion learners in more than 190 countries and in all continents. Furthermore, the UN stated the closures of schools and other learning spaces have impacted 94 per cent of the world’s student population, up to 99 per cent in low and lower-middle income countries (UN, 2020).
Over the years mankind has fought various global health scourges that threatened to wipe human beings off the face of the earth. It is worth knowing that the coronavirus is different when compared to the plagues and epidemics that have ravaged humanity throughout its existence in the sense that none have greatly affected the education of everyone in the world. world as COVID-19. More importantly, the outbreak of the pandemic has had a negative impact on the takeovers of schools that have long been closed in virtually every country in the world, including Nigeria. Following the declaration on 27 February 2020 of the first case of the virus in Lagos, Nigeria, by the Federal Ministry of Health, Nigerian students seem to have been led to pay the price for this global debacle, a war of bioterrorism, as claimed by conspiracy theorists, and which has had a negative impact on the country's education system. Since the beginning of the federal government's directive to close schools in the country, precisely on March 19, 2020, things have never been the same for parents and students (Amorighoye, 2020 ).
While medical experts have justified the continued closure of Nigerian schools in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, some critics, analysts and researchers have argued that the continued closure of schools despite the fact that markets, churches, mosques, businesses and public offices have long since been reopened for business, has negative impacts some have also argued that the continued closure of schools across the Federation would amount to unnecessary abuse or violation of the rights of Nigerian students to education, as well as hampering the annual school calendar and truncating the planned entry year; and delaying the promotion of students to the next level of study and graduation.
According to the Nigerian Emergency Education Working Group (eiewg) (2020), the COVID-19 outbreak in the country has complicated humanitarian, development and government partnership efforts, especially in the north-eastern part of the country, making it very difficult to implement responses to COVID-19 programs such as funding, movements following this complicated circumstance, and so on., The EiEWG argued that the suddenness of the COVID-19 crisis has had a negative impact on education not only in Northern Nigeria as education has been continuously interrupted by the Boko Haram insurgency, but also in other parts of the country. To this end, the questions of what effect does COVID-19 have on Nigeria Education system and what are the attitude of students towards COVID-19 pandemic. These are the relevant questions to which this study intends to provide answers.
Statement of the problem
In the face of the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) epidemic, national governments have provided palliatives of all kinds to improve the suffering of the masses, and above all have revolutionized digital and online education in their respective countries following the closure of businesses, social activities, places of worship and schools around the world. Unfortunately, some rural communities in Nigeria have struggled to achieve the goals set and the essence of mobilizing Nigerian students to fill gaps prior to the virus outbreak and subsequent closures of schools, colleges and universities in the country. Notably, the closure of schools since March 2020 in an effort to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has been criticized in some quarters and has also generated many disturbing national problems that remain to be resolved. Some critics have had to argue that the continued closure of Nigerian schools in the face of the virus epidemic has complicated the problems in our education sector which has suffered a setback due to poor leadership, corruption, insufficient funding and poor infrastructure sector development.
Suffice it to say that the COVID-19 epidemic amplifies the decline in education levels and educational inequality in the country because only those who have access to e-learning or digital learning benefit. This has widened the social gaps between having it and not having it instead of narrowing the gaps. Complementing this view, Aiyedun (2020) argued that the closure of primary schools and higher education institutions as part of the federal government's measures to contain the spread of the virus in the country, first in Lagos, Kano and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) (Abuja), and then in the other states of the Federation significantly interrupted the academic calendar and affected the academic program for the year 2020.
From this point of view, it has become imperative to argue that all of these factors listed above, including corruption, low funding of the education sector, weak development of the infrastructure sector, insincerity on the part of government agencies responsible for the spread and treatment of people infested with COVID-19, in particular the national Center for Disease Control, NCDC, as well as, and subsequent lockdown of all aspects of human activities, including sports activities, entertainment, transportation, worship centers, social gatherings, businesses, education and research centers; have changed the realities of business and human enterprises, the education sector being most affected by the actions of the government in this period this study therefore seeks to identify the effect of COVID-19 pandemic on Nigeria education system using University of Education Science and Technology as a case study.
Objectives of the study
The major objective of this study is to investigate effect of COVID 19 pandemic on Nigeria education system, a case study of Bamidele Olumilua University of Education Science and Technology, Ikere Ekiti. Other specific objectives are to;
i. examine the effect school closure on education in Nigeria following the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country.
ii. To investigate the effect of Convid -19 of students academic performance in tertiary Institution
iii. How CONVID 19 pandemic can be Manage in Nigeria Education System
iv. Investigate the attitude of students, teachers and education stakeholder towards COVID-19 pandemic
v. Proffer solutions to the effect CONVID -19 on schools closure in Nigeria.
Research questions
The following research question are raised to guide the study;
1. What are the effect of school closure on education in Nigeria following the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country?
2. What are the effect of Covid-19 on students academic performance in tertiary institution?
3. To what extent does COVID 19 pandemic can be Manage in Nigeria Education System?
4. What are the attitude of students, teachers and education stateholder towards COVID-19 pandemic?
5. What are the solutions to the effect COVID -19 on schools closure in Nigeria?
Research hypothesis
The following null hypothesis were formulated to guide the study at 0.05 level of significant
Ho1: School closure does not have significant effect on Nigeria Education system
Ho2: There is no significant different between COVID-19 and students academic performance
Ho3: There is no significant different on the attitude of students and stakeholder towards covid-19 pademic and its effects on Nigeria Educational system
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study is signigicance because it will allow government or education stakeholder to prepare for future occurance of any health crisis or pandemic. The study will intended to provide a thick description of the effect of Covid-19 on Nigeria educational system, The study will contribute knowledge to the existing literature about the menace of Covid -19 in Nigeria and it effects on students. Educating parents and other residents to understand the importance of knowing the sing and symptoms, prevention, control of COVID-19.
Scope of the study
The research will be aimed at investigating the effect of COVID-19 on Nigeria Educational system. The study covers, students and lecturers in University of Education Science and Technology, Ikere-Ekiti
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