Plateau, Zamfara, Niger and Jigawa states have adopted new strategies for teaching and learning in their states to forestall the effects of COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
Some of the states made this known on the sidelines of the ongoing cluster mobilisation and sensitisation meetings on COVID-19 protocol, surveillance and safe school reopening readiness on Thursday in Bauchi.
Mr Samuel Angai, the Desk Officer, Plateau State SUBEB, said that the state had introduced e-learning during the lockdown to facilitate learning in the state.
Angai, however, noted that the e-learning came with challenges of non-access to internet and lack of electricity for children to use the television programmes to learn.
“In Plateau, we introduced e-learning for teaching but the implementation is a bit difficult because the rural areas were not able to get through.
“Schools calendar was also disrupted but the students know the time to be closed to the media.
“With the support of the state government, ministry of education, UNICEF, CSOs and others, we ensure learning continues in Plateau,’’ he said.
Mrs Hajara Sodiq, the Secretary of the School Based Management Committee (SBMC) Zamfara, said the strategy of picking qualified teachers to teach in various homes was adopted in the COVID-19 era.
Sodiq said that this strategy had helped students to learn more at home and as such were not left behind among their groups.
“During the lockdown, Zamfara came up with radio and television programmes but this was not enough.
“The state also introduced the stay at home policy thereby picking qualified teachers to teach in the various homes.
“This strategy has helped the students to learn more at home and as such not missing out of the learning programmes.’’
In the same vein, Mr Abdullahi Mohammed, the Education Secretary, Niger State, said that the state had introduced the community level development education planning as an alternative for learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mohammed said that the state government also engaged the service of traditional rulers as a way through which learning took place in the state.
“There were a lot of challenges the COVID-19 brought which has reduced the function of the schools.
“In the education sector, even if schools were closed, other activities took place to ensure that learning continues in the state.
“In Niger, we introduced the community level development education planning where rural children were reached in the area of learning.
“The traditional rulers were also not left behind as they were used by the government to ensure that children get adequate learning in the COVID-19,’’ he said.
Mr Usman Mohammed, Principal, Jigawa State Academy for the Gifted, noted that COVID-19 had impacted on students learning, saying that COVID-19 had come to stay and the was need to imbibe measures for learning.
He said that online learning had increased retention and as well promotes self-learning process. (NAN)
