As a result of coronavirus containment measures in Africa, many universities have closed just like their counterparts globally. Some higher education institutions have managed to offer distance and online education, while many others find themselves poorly prepared and unable to mitigate the consequences of  COVID-19, resulting in a total shutdown.

In a statement issued on 19 March, the Association of African Universities (AAU) Secretary-General, Professor Etienne Ehouan Ehile called upon universities in Africa to move “urgently” to implement alternative methods of delivering teaching.

However, even before the COVID-19 crisis, the Education 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goal 4 recognized the need for flexible higher education systems to provide diverse learning pathways to support equity and lifelong learning.

In Tunisia, a students’ union has roundly rejected a proposal by the government to move classes online and has called for a boycott of enrolment on online education platforms, raising questions about how feasible an option of online education is in many African countries. In Kenya, even for an institution like The University of Nairobi that boasts of a seasoned open, distant and e-learning (ODeL) program, there has been a heated debate on social media by a section of its studentship on the practicability of continuing with their studies remotely during the shutdown.

With considerations like unstable internet connectivity in some areas across countries in the continent especially in the rural areas, unaffordable internet bundles for learners and limited electricity connectivity, many fear inequality in access for students based on where one will be during the shutdowns can not be wished away.

Speaking to University World News, Dr. Violet Makuku, quality assurance specialist and the project officer for the Harmonisation of African Higher Education Quality Assurance and Accreditation (HAQAA) initiative at the Association of African Universities (AAU), said in trying to find solutions to the challenges brought by COVID-19, people were failing to include “marginalized and disadvantaged groups”.

"If students are in deep rural areas where there is no internet and in some countries no electricity, how then will they access the online and uploaded materials as well as participate in ICT-aided teaching and learning?" she said.

However, some universities in the continent are ahead of the pack in preparedness to take learning online. Others are in the process of charting ways to migrate programs online in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Professor Jegede, a renowned Nigerian Scholar and former Vice Chancellor for National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in an article for the Guardian express his opinion that online education is a viable alternative for conventional learning systems and like in the case for Nigeria should be strengthened.  To him “The future of learning worldwide is open and distance learning”, Africa must not be left behind.

While COVID-19 is a temporary crisis, it should serve as a wake-up call for higher education systems to ensure the provision of flexible educational delivery modes that serve diverse populations of learners.

Photo courtesy / pexels

Article by Research Beeline team