The Role of Technology in Bridging the Gap Created by Covid-19 Pandemic on Education: The National Teachers’ Institute Experience

Abstract

PCF10 Sub-theme: Inspiring Innovations // Technology is the sum of any techniques, skills, methods, and processes used in the production of goods or services or in the accomplishment of objectives. It supports learning, builds 21st century skills, increases student engagement and motivation, and accelerates learning. This process enhances integrating technology in education with the objective of diversifying the learning environment for students. The main purpose of this paper is to show the impact of technology in bridging the learning gap created by closure of schools all over the globe, and Nigeria to be specific as a result of covid-19 pandemic. According to a report by UNICEF (April, 2020), over 10.5 million children in Nigeria are out-of-school as at 2019, banditry, kidnappings, poverty etc. constitute more. The National Teachers’ Institute (NTI) being major teacher supplier and trainer in Nigeria, in collaboration with various stakeholders, came up with various programmes to assist learners in public schools to bridge the gap created by covid-19, and also train teachers with the technical skills to enable them reach out to their students anywhere, anytime, and any place. Some of the programmes includes online and offline, but the teachers lack technical skills, motivation and lack of awareness from the parents to encourage their wards to key in and be part of the technological advancement. A qualitative survey design was adopted for the study, the instruments used are document review, semi-structured and structured interview questions, three research questions were used with a total of 90 participants. Findings from the study indicates that over 80% of learning was lost by students between March and September 2019/2020. The paper recommends National Teachers’ Institute (NTI) being the prime driver of teacher professional development in Nigeria, should be given the opportunity for continuous development of teachers on issues boarding new waves in teaching and learning. // Paper ID 9788