Education in a pandemic
Omarion Bobb
Omarion Bobb

THE novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has resulted in schools being shut all across the world. Globally, it has been reported that over 1.2 billion children are out of the classroom.
As a result, education has changed dramatically, with the distinctive rise of e-learning, whereby teaching is undertaken remotely and on digital platforms.

Research suggests that online learning has been shown to increase retention of information and take less time, meaning the changes coronavirus have caused might be here to stay.

With a sudden shift away from the classroom in many parts of the globe, some are wondering whether the adoption of online learning will continue to persist post-pandemic, and how such a shift would impact the worldwide education market.

This is according to statistics from a World Economic Forum study which was done in April 2020, to ascertain the impact of COVID on the education system worldwide.

Locally, the education landscape has changed with the addition of remote learning as well. The Pepperpot Magazine spoke with Omarion Bobb, who recently wrote the National Grade Six Examination.

Bobb described briefly how he coped with the changes in learning during the pandemic as he prepared to write his exams.

During his interview with Pepperpot Magazine, Bobb recalled that he enjoyed playing games with his friends and spending time with his family.
He noted that he attends the Stewartville Seventh Day Adventist Church and enjoys reading as well.

“I had little to no challenges during the pandemic because my mom [Sherlyn Ally] and teachers, especially Miss Naomi, were very supportive. I also made use of the internet, study packages, textbooks and all past papers that were available to me from my school,”he said.

When it comes to career choice, young Bobb has not decided which career path he wants to take but for now, he just wants to focus on school and how well he can work to achieve good grades.

“Being in Grade Six with exams coming up and not being able to go to school made me feel nervous at times, but I wasn’t discouraged by it. The support of my mom and teachers really helped me to stay positive as they helped me to prepare for my examination,” Bobb noted during his interview.

Bobb noted that his motivators during his primary school days were “god, my mom, my teachers and some of my friends” who would come over to study with him.
Bobb told Pepperpot Magazine that he has advice for his fellow pupils.

“Success comes through determination and even though we are in a pandemic, we can still try to do our best with whatever is available to us,” he encouraged.
According to the above-mentioned study.

“In response to significant demand, many online learning platforms are offering free access to their services, including platforms like BYJU’S, a Bangalore-based educational technology and online tutoring firm founded in 2011, which is now the world’s most highly valued edtech company. Since announcing free live classes on its Think and Learn app, BYJU’s has seen a 200% increase in the number of new students using its product, according to Mrinal Mohit, the company’s Chief Operating Officer.”

The International Study further revealed that online study is more effective in many ways.

These include: students retaining 25-60% more materials when learning online, compared to only 8-10% in a classroom. This is mostly due to the students being able to learn faster online; e-learning requires 40-60% less time to learn than in a traditional classroom setting, because students can learn at their own pace, going back and re-reading, skipping, or accelerating through concepts as they choose.

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