COVID-19: Introduce National Policy On Online Education, Reps Tell FG

The House of Representatives on Tuesday underscored the need for relevant authorities in charge of education in Nigeria to urgently develop a National Policy and Framework for online education for schools at various levels.

The lawmakers said the policy should be developed with the view to salvaging the fate of 1.2 million Nigerian students who are currently out of schools as a result of the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic.

Tribune Online reports that the resolution was passed sequel to the adoption of a motion sponsored by Hon. Aniekan Umanah who expressed concern over the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the country’s educational system.

In his lead debate, Hon. Umanah stated that the effect of COVID-19 on the educational sector of the world cannot be overemphasized and Nigeria needs to also adapt to ensure the school children are kept updated educationally.

According to him, there seems to be unpreparedness and lack of depth in the content being provided on-line, on radio and television. He called for an upgrade in the content as Nigerian children are lagging in comparison to their counterparts worldwide.

“The House notes that the outbreak of the coronavirus has altered the educational calendar globally. According to UNESCO, most governments around the world have temporarily closed schools in an attempt to contain the spread of the virus; these nationwide closures are impacting over 72% of the world student population.

“This has brought a significant setback to academic endeavours with far-reaching impacts on more vulnerable and disadvantaged countries developing world such as Nigeria.

“The House further notes that the COVID-19 induced schools closure has kept over 1.2 billion children out classrooms and as a result, education has changed dramatically, with the distinctive increase in the use of e-Iearning, whereby teaching is undertaken remotely and on digital platforms.