In Zambia, as in so many countries affected by COVID 19, schools, colleges and universities are closed. Students have been told to go home and study online, with material sent by teachers.
But the Zambia National Students’ Unions (ZANASU) has submitted a report to President Edgar Lungu after an online survey showed that Zambian students want colleges to reopen.
Of course, they don’t want classes simply to resume. According to the report, 56 per cent of the 13,072 students surveyed wanted the reopening of colleges and universities to be carried out with a mandatory screening of students, lecturers, and all staff involved in conducting classes.
Why do they want to go back to college? In Scotland, perhaps online learning is better provided for than here in Zambia and maybe most people have access to the Internet. But of the surveyed Zambian students, 43 per cent were dissatisfied with online learning programmes offered by colleges and universities during the shutdown period.
In reality, it isn’t so much the programmes as the fact that the majority cannot afford the cost of a reliable Internet connection and not all have smartphones. Online learning platforms have given an advantage to just a few students while the majority are left behind.
Student Cisanga Mwanza told me, ‘Transition from physical to virtual has been abrupt and perhaps not well coordinated. This may lead to most colleges and universities having a reduced pass rate and more likely it will produce half-baked graduates this year.’
Chipoma Mulenga, a student at Evelyn Hone College, said, ‘During this lockdown, we are doing E-Learning and i find it difficult. The network isn't good in this country and I can’t access everything I need.’
The Zambian President has said that schools will reopen in phases, The first phase will be primary and secondary schools, but only for those in examination classes. There will be consultation on when higher learning institutions will reopen.
Students should be sitting exams soon, but I think it could only be done if students, lecturers and other staff abide by the health guidelines. At the very least, students should be given materials to study for November exams.
I am seeing the news from around the world and it is sad to see how many people are vulnerable to the corona virus outbreak in many different ways. It isn’t just that people get sick, or even the high death toll in some countries.
It is that the pandemic is affecting poorer communities in the UK because poor people live in bad housing and the air is more polluted. And now we are seeing that poorer countries like Zambia are more badly affected because however much we protect ourselves with masks and social distancing, the poor are disadvantaged by lack of technology and infrastructures.
I pray that the inequalities the pandemic has highlighted will be addressed when COVID19 has been conquered.