ASSESSING THE EFFECTS OF POST COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS: A CASE STUDY OF UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
University and college campuses are places where students live and study in close quarters. They are also buzzing cultural hubs where students from various faculties are brought together. The rapid spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak has recently impacted the foundations of this unique ecosystem, creating uncertainty about the implications for higher education. Education officials have been forced to cancel lectures for the past 52 weeks.
Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) (MERS). These viruses were originally passed down from animals to humans. SARS, for example,
It was spread from civet cats to humans, whereas MERS was spread from a type of camel to humans. Several coronaviruses have been identified in animals that have not yet infected humans. The term coronavirus is derived from the Latin word corona, which means crown or halo. It appears to be surrounded by a solar corona under an electron microscope. The novel coronavirus, named SARS-CoV-2 by Chinese authorities on January 7, is a new strain that had not previously been identified in humans. Although human-to-human transmission has been confirmed, little is known about it.
Countries all over the world are working feverishly to halt the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The WHO declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global health emergency on January 30.
On March 11, it declared the pandemic crisis, raising the stakes even higher.
On February 27, 2020, Nigeria confirmed its first case in Lagos State: an Italian citizen working in Nigeria returned on February 25 from Milan, Italy via the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, fell ill on February 26 and was transferred to Lagos State Biosecurity Facilities for isolation and testing. As a strategy to contain the spread of the virus in Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Education has directed all educational institutions in Nigeria to close and allow students to return home as cases of reported COVID-19 increase.
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) monitored the impact. of the pandemic on education. As of March 30, they estimated that school closures had affected 87 percent of the world’s students, or 1.5 billion students. The majority of these students are in primary and secondary schools, but millions of students in pre-primary and tertiary education are also affected. Over 180 countries have closed their schools nationwide, while others have implemented localized closures. In particular, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on higher education in Nigeria has been identified as follows: reduction of international education, disruption of academic calendar of higher institutions, cancellation of local and international conferences, teaching and learning gap, loss of workforce in educational institutions, and reduction in higher education budget.
1.2 THE PROBLEM’S STATEMENT
The outbreak of covid-19 has had a wide-ranging impact on Nigeria’s educational system and plans. Due to the covid-19 pandemic, students from all over the world returned to their home countries. This pandemic had a negative impact on countries in a variety of ways, including students studying abroad being discouraged from continuing their studies, and many people planning to study abroad being unable to do so due to countries prohibiting inter-country travel.
The academic calendars of Nigeria’s higher education institutions were thrown off by Covid-19. According to Ogunode (2020), the closure of all educational institutions, from primary schools to higher education, would have an impact on students’ academic plans and programs.
Many conferences on various topics are planned for the first.
Due to the pandemic, the second quarter of 2020 has been canceled. Because many higher education institutions in Nigeria have not fully integrated ICT into teaching and learning programs across the country, the number of new discoveries and findings in the educational sectors for this period has been reduced. According to Wikipedia (2020), the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic has impacted educational systems worldwide, resulting in widespread school and university closures. Over 421 million students were absent from school as of 3 April 2020 due to school closures in response to covid-19. According to UNESCO monitoring, over 200 countries implemented nationwide closures on March 23, 2020, affecting approximately 98% of the world’s student population.
1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The primary goal of this research is to evaluate the impact
of post COVID 19 on tertiary institutions. Other goals are as follows:
1. Determine the gaps and lapses in tertiary institution academic plans and calendars caused by the covid-19 outbreak.
2. To investigate the government’s efforts to reopen tertiary institutions.
3. To investigate the extent to which the closure of tertiary institutions has impacted both students and lecturers, and to make appropriate recommendations.
1.4 QUESTIONS FOR RESEARCH
1. What is the impact of COVID-19 on Nigerian tertiary institutions?
2. What are the gaps and aspects that have been affected since the closure of tertiary institutions?
3. How has COVID-19 affected Tertiary Institutions’ programs and calendar?
4. How would you rate the government’s efforts to reopen tertiary institutions?
5.
How has the closure of tertiary institutions affected both students and lecturers?
1.5 THE STUDY’S IMPORTANCE
There is no doubt that such a study will make a positive and significant contribution.
This study will be of great interest to students, lecturers, and professors at high schools because it details the harm caused by the spread of Covid-19, its impact on tertiary institutions, and appropriate solutions.
This study will also be useful as a source of information for anyone conducting research on this topic.
1.6 STUDY SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS
If this study had been conducted in all Nigerian Tertiary Institutions, its scope would have been much broader. The study is constrained by the fact that
There aren’t enough time or resources to care for the entire country. This is limited to Lagos State University, and the findings may not be representative of the situation throughout the country.
1.7 TERM DEFINITION
TERTIARY INSTITUTION: also known as a higher education institution. It includes both public and private universities, colleges, technical training institutes, and vocational schools.
INSTITUTION: an organization, establishment, foundation, society, or the like dedicated to the advancement of a specific cause or program, particularly one of a public, educational, or charitable nature.
WHO: The World Health Organization is a United Nations specialized agency in charge of international public health.
SARS – Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome – was a potentially fatal contagious respiratory illness.
illness. An outbreak occurred between 2002 and 2003.
MERS is a viral respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, or MERSCoV) that was discovered in Saudi Arabia in 2012.
COVID 19: of the genus Beta coronavirus), is primarily transmitted through contact with infectious material (such as respiratory droplets) or objects or surfaces contaminated by the causative virus, and is characterized by fever, cough, and shortness of breath, and can progress to pneumonia and respiratory failure.
UNESCO: a United Nations agency founded in 1945 to promote the exchange of information, ideas, and culture. The United States withdrew from the organization in 1984, but rejoined in 2003 after being satisfied with certain reforms.
International Students: These are students who chose to pursue all or part of their tertiary education in a country other than their own and relocate to that country to study.
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