Education in the ‘New Normal’ COVID-19 Pandemic Era: A Practical Example in the University of Yaounde I, Cameroon

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume VI, Issue II, February 2022 | ISSN 2454–6186

Education in the ‘New Normal’ COVID-19 Pandemic Era: A Practical Example in the University of Yaounde I, Cameroon

Apongnde Pasker (Ph.D)
Faculty of Education, University of Yaounde I

ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic, with staggering effects on man’s activities all over the World has imposed a ‘new normal’ in the higher educational arena that stands to continue to prevail after the pandemic. Indeed, the manner in which knowledge is imparted has suddenly moved from the traditional onsite to a hybrid system, incorporating the classical face-to-face and online modes of course delivery. What is paradoxical is that this pedagogical paradigm-shift is being experienced in the University of Yaounde I at a time when the implementation of remote and other applications of educational technology is still quite fledgling in Cameroon. This study is qualitative in nature; involving in-depth interviews with 15 lecturers and 21 students randomly sampled from the University of Yaounde I. While data was analyzed through content-analysis, interpretations were made in the light of Kurt Lewin’s Theory of Change and Homi Bhabha’s Hybridity theory. Results reveal that uneven access to technological devices, inadequate training, and lack of conducive remote learning environments are hampering the new normal. To this effect, a number of recommendations have been made.
Key words: Education, ‘New normal’, COVID-19, Pandemic, and Era.
I. INTRODUCTION
Mankind has known and experienced pandemics, but the one that was witnessed at the close of the year 2019 has gone into the annals of history as the most devastating. It is called corona virus or better still, COVID-19, declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 12th 2020 (Shereen and al., 2020). It is said to be of the Corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) families that brings about acute respiratory complications in humans. The COVID-19 pandemic originated from Wuhan, a town in China and succeeded to take several thousand lives within its initial weeks of existence. It later spread to other countries of the World; hence, becoming a global health concern, with staggering effects on most human activities (education inclusive). According to Shereen and al. (2020), the United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on March 18th 2020 estimated that about 107 countries had implemented national school closures due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic (Cameroon inclusive); a situation that affected about 1.38 billion learners all over the world (UNESCO, 2020).
In Cameroon to be very specific, 4.5 million primary school pupils, 1.8 million secondary school students, 40,000 vocational training students, and 347,000 higher education students were obliged to stay out of school (UNSDG, 2020 cited by Mbodiam, 2020). According to Cameroon Web (2020) cited by the same author, the University of Yaounde I amid presidential silence was the first educational institution to issue a communiqué on the eve of 17 March 2020 listing academic measures it intended to take in response to COVID-19. To Mbodiam (2020), the above mentioned university initiated the lockdown of its campuses and suspended face-to-face academic activities; paving the way for a change in teaching methods by strengthening digital education as recommended by the Rector of the said institution.
With the advent of the new corona virus variant called Omicron or B-11529, the global infectious rate stood at 271,963,258 cases with 5,331,019 deaths and Cameroon alone recorded 107,662 cases with 1,836 deaths and no case of Omicron by December 17th 2021 (Cameroon-WHO COVID-19 dashboard, 2021). The COVID-19 pandemic period has adversely affected the way education is delivered in the University of Yaounde I and hybrid education is gradually being appropriated into the habits of lecturers as well as students as a new normal that will certainly prevail after the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic era as used here refers to the period during and after the lockdown imposed on people and activities. The confinement period in Cameroon took close to seven (07) months; that is, from March 17th to October 5th 2020.
The University of Yaounde I which is the case study here owes its origin to the French mandatory period through what was known as Fondation Française d’Enseignement Supérieur (French Higher Education Foundation) in Ekounou-Yaounde. In October 1961, the Institute for University Studies was open and on July 26th 1962, the Federal University of Cameroon was created. It later became the University of Yaounde in 1973 and the 1993 University reform saw the creation of six State universities in Cameroon; hence, the University of Yaounde I (Decree, No. 93/026 of 19 January 1993). It is a bilingual institution; with French and English being the official languages of instruction.

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