8 Post COVID-19 Decisions Education Sector Cannot Run From

Post COVID-19 decisions on education around the world are expected to change the education sector of every country. This is expected to affect schools at the pre-tertiary and university levels, Teachers, none teaching staff, all other businesses providing logistics and dealing directly and indirectly with educational institutions. This calls for leadership in dealing with both the foreseen and unforeseen challenges.

It is important that all stakeholders especially students, parents, and guardians start conditioning their minds for the massive change. Educational institutions must lead the change and get ready to make some tough decisions in their best interest to stay relevant. Those that have started strategically looking at the possible impacts must come out with new plans, projects, and realistic solutions to help cope with the after-effects of COVID-19.

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Universities and colleges that are agile and those that can build new competencies using strategic thinking, available resources and improve on their already existing competencies and capabilities will stay relevant, however, for those who fail to take action now against the uncertain future will lose steam and fall out of the competition for students.

Likely post COVID-19 decisions that will be taken will affect the education calendar. Some of the decisions to expect around the world are presented here by our team on Education content on newsghana24.

These projections are envisaged given the current coronavirus pandemic.

1. Vacations will be shorter and in many instances just a few days or weeks to make for the time lost. Universities will find it difficult to reduce the content of the current semester affected by the COVID-19. At worse, students will have to sacrifice their vacations when this pandemic is hopefully over.

2. Visiting Lecturers’ demand will fall for the next year due to the coronavirus until the WHO declares the COVID-19 cured, under control or not a threat to the nations across the world. Many such lecturers will be reluctant to travel and new online platforms for distance education or online degrees will become the preferred mode of education.

Universities and colleges that are able to leverage on technology will reap the benefits in the area of increased enrolment, improved financial standing among others. The multiplier effect of this would be an increase in courses and programmes.

To achieve this strategic feet, schools at all levels across the world must develop the needed IT infrastructure, the core competence of its IT departments and train lecturers to gain expert skills and knowledge required to deliver such a service.

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3. Fee cuts are going to be high to attract both local and international students to Universities across the world while fee payment plans will become necessary than before to keep current levels of student population per school. Schools thrive on huge populations and this looks like an inevitable strategy for educational institutions.

Thus parents and students (direct and indirect) customers of educational institutions will have more say and choices in the post-COVID-19 era.

4. Contact hours will increase with some topics, lessons and lectures being accessed by students online concurrently with the regular face to face Lecturers. This is one sure way to make for lost time.

5. Some schools especially colleges and universities would consider fewer vacations and merge two semesters as one with an examination in-between. Schools are currently looking at this unforeseen breaks as the summer vacation for students.

6. Assignment, online examinations, and short quizzes will increase to make up for the lost time and academic work. Schools will increase student activities such as assignments, group work, and projects to help students cover lessons missed due to Covid-19. This will surely put a lot of pressure on learners and lecturers. Students have envisaged this and are already calling for a semester without examinations.

7. Schools that decide not to implement any changes will have their academic calendar months changed. They will add back the number of weeks or months lost due to COVID-19 which will make the academic calendar longer than usual.

8. Some universities are expected to increase the employment of lecturers to help facilitate learning and to help cover more topics. This will relieve many lectures who teach more than one subject in such universities.

Educational institutions will need government support and stimulus packages (private and public institutions) to weather the COVID-19 aftermath storms in the sector. Is the world ready?

Source: | NewsGhana24 | Wisdom Hammond