Impact of COVID19 on Global Education

No doubt, the development of any society, be it political, economic, medical, technological, etc is anchored on the quality of education the citizens are exposed to.rnWith the advent of the internet, teaching and learning have taken a different turn. Learners and educators are connecting in and from any part of the world. This has made learning accessible to all no matter where one is in the globe. rnHowever, some countries like Nigeria have not taken full advantage of this massive opportunity and still practice and rely largely on the classroom learning system with its many limitations. With the global outbreak of the deadly COVID19 virus which has resulted in a lockdown and stay at home across the globe and the halt on educational activities among others, educators and educational institutions administrators would have to rethink a way to teach and for learners to learn. COVID19 related disruption can give educators time to rethink the sector and come up with policies that will take education beyond the walls. A policy to break the classroom walls a system that has limited teaching and learning over the years. Technology has stepped into the breach, and will continue to play a major role in educating future generations. In a world where knowledge is a mouse-click away, the role of the educator must of necessity change too. "Not since World War II have so many countries around the world seen schools and educational institutions go into lockdown at around the same time and for the same reason. While we know that the impact of this virus will be far-reaching, what might it mean in the longer term for education?" Poornima Luthrarn There have been talks among educators around the world on the need to rethink how we educate future generations. This might just be the disruption that the sector needed to get us all to rethink how we educate future generations and also question what we need to teach and what we are preparing our students for. So, as we educators grapple with the new ways of communicating with our students away from our classrooms and lecture theatres, it is a good time to reflect on how this disruptive crisis can help us define what learning should look like in this globalization age.rnWith the current COVID-19 crisis, educators, and education policymakers are wondering what we need to be preparing our students for in the future. According to a report Dell Technologies, 85% of the jobs in 2030 that Generation Z and Alpha will enter into have not been invented yet. In the same vein, the World Economic Forum reported that 65% of primary school children today will be working in job types that do not exist yet.rnThe COVID-19 crisis may well change our world and our global outlook; it may also teach us about how education needs to change to be able to better prepare our young learners for what the future might hold.rnPoornima Luthra, Founder and Chief Consultant, TalentED Consultancy ApS, and External Faculty at Copenhagen Business School highlighted four important lessons to be learned in this regards: rn1. Educating citizens in an interconnected worldrnCOVID-19 is a pandemic that illustrates how globally interconnected we are there is no longer such a thing as isolated issues and actions. Successful people in the coming decades need to be able to understand this interrelatedness and navigate across boundaries to leverage their differences and work in a globally collaborative way.rn2. Redefining the role of the educatorrnThe notion of an educator as the knowledge-holder who imparts wisdom to their pupils is no longer fit for a 21st-century education. With students being able to gain access to knowledge, and even learn a technical skill, through a few clicks on their phones, tablets, and computers, we will need to redefine the role of the educator in the classroom and lecture theatre. This may mean that the role of educators will need to move towards facilitating young peoples development as contributing members of society. 3. Teaching life skills needed for the futurernIn this ever-changing global environment, young people require resilience and adaptability skills that are proving to be essential to navigate effectively through this pandemic. Looking into the future, some of the most important skills that employers will be looking for will be creativity, communication, and collaboration, alongside empathy and emotional intelligence; and being able to work across demographic lines of differences to harness the power of the collective through effective teamwork.rn4. Unlocking technology to deliver educationrnThe COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in educational institutions across the world being compelled to suddenly harness and utilize the suite of available technological tools to create content for remote learning for students in all sectors. Educators across the world are experiencing new possibilities to do things differently and with greater flexibility resulting in potential benefits in accessing education for students across the world. ..Stay home, stay safe, and keep learning. ..Stay home, stay safe, and stay productive.