Applying Technology Innovation to Education to Bridge the Knowledge Gap Occasioned by Covid-19 Pandemic Lockdown in Nigeria
- July 1, 2021
- Posted by: rsispostadmin
- Categories: Education, IJRISS, Social Science
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue V, May 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186
Dr. Okanezi, Bright and Iyalagha, Ebradouye
Department of Educational Foundations Faculty of Education University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Abstract
This paper considered applying technology innovation to education to bridge the knowledge gap occasioned by COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Nigeria. The paper qualitatively discussed challenges that technology innovations have had during the pandemic hence the design adopted for this study is descriptive research. Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, its pandemic status and the consequent introduction of lockdown measure to forestall its further spread, several societal sectors have been negatively affected especially the education sector. With regards to how the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown negatively affected the education sector, it is glaring that students and pupils stopped learning; students and pupils were missing the camaraderie; schools lost a whole period of two terms/semesters; intellectual or academic activities which include trade fairs, workshops, seminars, symposia and academic conferences were halted; school proprietors could not pay salaries to their staff because schools were shut-down due to the coronavirus pandemic lockdown measure. The position of this paper is that these adverse effects of COVID-19 on education could be averted if digital education system is being implemented. The study concludes that digital education has the capability of carrying on learning irrespective of distance. In other words, e-learning, online learning, virtual learning, virtual conference, etc. can hold during the pandemic lockdown. To this end, it was recommended among other things that budgetary allocation to the educational sector should not be below 26 percent of the Country’s annual budget; devices for digital education should be provided by education sponsors; computer education should be made compulsory at all levels of education in Nigeria.
Key words: Technology Innovation, knowledge gap, COVID-19, pandemic, lockdown.
Introduction
The unprecedented spread of the novel coronavirus was alarming. Besides, the fact that there was hitherto no known cure or vaccine worsened the issue. This condition indeed left the whole world in a state of perplexity. Under this critical situation, the only option to forestall further spread and its attendant death of human beings was to impose lockdown. Moreso, the Peoples Republic of China where the coronavirus originated imposed lockdown in their country and it worked for them. Consequently, Nigerian Government adopted the idea and enforced lockdown on several sectors including the education sector. Lockdown ordinarily mean restriction of
