Covid-19 reimages future of education in Africa through digitalization- Prof Seruma
Professor Ezra Seruma, Makerere University
What you need to know:
- He pointed out lack of connectivity, lack of resources, and lack of training as some of the hindrances of digitalising education in primary and secondary schools, but also in universities as main constraints for them not embracing digitalization.
Professor Ezra Seruma, the chancellor of Makerere University has revealed that Covid-19 pandemic has re-imaged the future of higher education in Africa as learners have embraced digitalization.
He made the revelation during the opening of a three-day Kampala geopolitics conference that runs from 10th November to 12th which seeks to discover emerging issues in the world and ways to address them.
He says while the pandemic has forced much of the world to adopt online course systems, some countries are still lagging behind, particularly on the African continent.
He pointed out lack of connectivity, lack of resources, and lack of training as some of the hindrances of digitalising education in primary and secondary schools, but also in universities as main constraints for them not embracing digitalization.
He noted that many African schools and students were ill-prepared for this switch to e-learning. Amid widespread challenges like infrastructure deficit, unstable electricity supply, lack of digital skills among teaching personnel and students, and soaring data costs, the most vulnerable students are hit the hardest.
“What are the lessons learned from the pandemic? What are the new needs and challenges the education sector worldwide is facing? Will the digitalization of the education sector play a role as an international equalizer or will it lead to more education divide? Will it allow an internalization or even a homogenization of learning and knowledge or have to adapt to local contexts? Who will set the tone and the standards when re-imagining higher education at a global level? And how can the African continent harness these changes to close gaps in access to higher education and skilling?” he using during the fourth conference.
Mr Seruma called on Africa’s institutions of higher learning to look for ways of embracing this new norm otherwise they global world will leave them behind.
