Against the backdrop of e-learning adopted by some schools, occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic and the attendant closure of schools, some parents and pupils on Thursday appraised the effectiveness of e-learning.
The parents and pupils, who spoke in Lagos, said that the online study was meant to keep pupils busy during the lockdown.
They, however, noted that online study could not be compared with physical teaching and learning in the classroom.
The Federal Government and State Governments in the wake of the lockdown to curb the spread of the COVID-19 initiated various online learning platforms for conventional education to continue.
Mrs Ndidi Ofodile, the Proprietress of Nitabel Nursery and Primary School Ojo, Lagos, one of the private schools into e-learning, said that though parents were informed about it through text messages, not all pupils were participating in the online learning.
Ofodile said that the online learning would have been more comprehensive if parents had made devices available to enable the pupils receive the study worksheets sent through WhatsApp, Google classroom and zoom networks.
“Parents are billed half of the pupils’ regular school fee to pay the teachers and procure other essential devices to aid the online learning sessions,” she said.
Mr John Williams-Lawal, whose two children in another private school had been participating in their school’s online classes, noted that the online teaching lacked coordination.
“It is just like sending a text message to someone at the other end and expecting a reply from the person. This variant of teaching and learning is incomplete.
“The challenges are numerous; physical teaching is far better.
“In a physical class, the teacher employs different teaching aids to enhance the pupils’ assimilation. In the class, a teacher compels pupils to learn by intuition which is difficult to implement online,” he said.
Williams-Lawal urged parents to provide the required learning materials like textbooks for their children to study before the schools reopen, saying that one rarely forgot knowledge acquired physically.
Janet Alaobi and Adeola Arowolo, both pupils of a public school in Lagos, said that they seldom watched and studied on television channels organised by the state ministry of education.
Alaobi in Basic Four said that because she rarely understood what the teachers on television were teaching, she did not show interest in the sessions.
She noted that the teachers were unlike her school teachers.
She wished that schools should reopen to enable them to continue normal academic works, noting that staying at home was no longer exciting.
