THE EFFECT OF THE WUHAN CORONAVIRUS ON NIGERIAN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM A CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

The Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic, began in September 2019 in the capital city of Hubei Province in the Republic of China, and has since spread to other parts of the world, affecting the entire world's population. The virus has largely spread from one person to another since then. It has also led more than 171 countries around the world to close their educational institutions for the most part of the year 2020. Since more than 1.5 billion students from all over the world have been affected by school closures, the effect of COVID-19 on educational system is in bizarre and unimaginable in the history of mankind. This study therefore, investigates the effect of the novel Wuhan coronavirus on the Nigerian educational system. The study however, argued that the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria impacted negatively on the growth and development of educational system which was already in a state of comatose. Qualitative method was adopted in gathering data for the study. This includes the use of books, conference papers, academic journal and book chapters. Findings from the study pinpoints that the outbreak of coronavirus has a negative impact on the educational system in Nigeria leading to closure of schools and students been unable to write examinations due to lack of ICT facilities. As a result the study recommends that there is also a need for the government and policymakers to mitigate the effects of school closures by providing the required infrastructure for e-learning, such as laptops and mobile data packages, as well as subsidizing citizens' telecommunication and electricity bills.