Students from poor homes lag behind in e-learning

Education authorities have embraced e-learning services after the COVID-19 restrictions which forced schools to shut their doors to millions of learners. But the new learning environment is said to have widened the gap between students from low-income families and their peers.

Investigation reveals that while students from well-to-do homes can afford gadgets such as laptops and engage in virtual lessons, those from poor households do not, thus, spend time doing nothing.

Abia State Governor Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, a month ago, announced that the sum of N10 million was granted to each higher institution to encourage online interactions between lecturers and students. Yet, one student of Abia State University said he does not have a computer for remote learning.

Also, the ‘Teaching with radio’ programme launched by the government has been running on the platforms of the Broadcasting Corporation of Abia State (BCA).

Some private schools in Umuahia conduct e-learning by sending learning materials and assignments to pupils through their parent’s emails.

But a parent, Mrs Felicity Nwachukwu, whose two daughters are in Christian Primary School in Umuahia, said remote learning required parents to be close to the learners. She said, “My daughters are playful.”

Conversely, a primary 5 pupil in a public primary school in Umuahia who gave his name as Ekene Obasi said his school did not embrace virtual programmes and he did not have gadgets for them either.

Two pupils of Olumawu College, Abuja said they were given reading and writing assignments to solve on a regular basis over a computer network while they stayed at home.

An SSS 1 student of Makurdi International Secondary School, Benue State, Petra Ejembi, said she improves her knowledge on few subjects via instructional lessons broadcast on Dove Television.

“Learning on Dove TV has been an experience; just like I was in my class. I understand everything being taught. I would say there is no difference,” Petra said.

Similarly, Inalegwu Samson, a student of one of the Catholic schools in Benue, admitted that she has been reading e-books online with the help of his parents’ laptops.

Samson said doing so has kept him away from idling with some of his mates, some of whom he said only watched movies and played football all day long.

On his part, Shadrack James of UBE School, Wadata, Makurdi, said he spends the day in a mechanic’s workshop as an apprentice.

He told our correspondent that he has no resources to learn outside the classroom so his parents preferred that he made himself useful by acquiring vocational skill during the lockdown.

Also, a primary six pupil at LEA Primary School, Sule Edwin, says he feels bad whenever some of his mates talked about remote learning.

“I hawk mango. Other times, I play football. We don’t have the medium through which I can learn in our home. My school too does not teach online,” Edwin said.

The Kaduna State Government had on April 5, 2020, announced the commencement of TV and radio tutorials, mainly for SSS3 students preparing for the senior certificate examination.

Muslimat Ibrahim, an SSS3 student from a private school, told our correspondent that her school has yet to come up with electronic learning initiative for students and so she pays attention to the state government’s sponsored tutorial.

She expressed satisfaction in the way the subjects were taught even though, she added, there was little or no room for teacher-student interaction as obtained in a conventional classroom.

Similarly, Ahmad Lawal, an SSS3 student of Government College Kaduna, applauded the initiative, noting that it has kept him busy while at home.

On his part, Samson Ameh, an SSS2 student resident in Sabo, said though his parents encouraged him to join the TV lessons daily, there were days he was unable to do so due to lack of electricity.

“Whenever there is no electricity to power the TV set, my parents will insist I listen to the programme on radio but I prefer that of the television, especially when they are teaching mathematics,” he said.

Besides the TV and radio programmes for students in Kaduna, some private schools live stream classes online and even conduct computer-based tests for students.

Daily Trust learnt that the scheme of work being streamed in some schools was for the third term syllabus.

Rasheeda Shittu, an SSS1 student in a private school, said accessing the classes was rather difficult for her because she could not afford mobile data. She noted that the long hours of lessons will put a strain on her parents’ finances because each class lasts for an hour with two classes to hold between Monday and Friday a week.

“We do not have the appropriate device at home and the school did not provide one for us to use. I do not know the amount of data to buy so as to have access to the lessons,” she said.

On how she intends to keep updated on the lessons, Rasheeda said going to her classmates who attend the lessons, is the option she is considering and will ask her parents for money to buy data when it’s time to sit for the exams or a test.

Students in Jos, Plateau State, who do not have the means for e-learning while away time playing football and other games. Our correspondent also ran into some students scavenging for worms from drainages along Bukuru township road to use as bait on fishing hook. They fish at a nearby dam in Bukuru.

It was gathered, however, that few private schools like St. Monica Primary and Secondary School and Rantya Academy engage in e-learning.

A teacher, Benjamin Vershima, said the lockdown should be an eye-opener to the government and school owners to embrace e-learning.

An SSS3 student of Government Secondary School, Kufang, Jos, Nora Agyo, said most students in public schools do not have the chance to utilise the internet.

She said she is not sure she will graduate this year due to the prolonged lockdown and called on the authorities to adjust to virtual education.

Another student of Nobel College in Bukuru, Marvelous Moses, said he stays idle under the lockdown with no chance to take lessons.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education, Plateau State, announced the commencement of instructional learning on PRTV from Monday 27 April for junior and senior secondary schools students as follows: 1:30- 3pm Mon – Fri and 4:35pm – 6pm Sat.

The Plateau State Universal Basic Education Board will also commence classes on FM Peace 90.5 for primary school pupils, a source said.

In the meantime, to ease internet browsing price impact, Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has launched free online home schooling platform (EDO-BEST@Home), which enables pupils to learn from online resources while at home.

The platform, according to him, provides for online resources with zero-data access or through free Short Message Service (SMS) supported by MTN Nigeria.

A parent in Ilorin, Kwara State, Mrs Helen Olabode, said her four children, two in the university and the other two in a polytechnic have been staying at home idle.

However, the government has started offering classes via radio for basic and secondary school students.