The impact of covid-19 on the life of Yamikani from Malawi
I’m hereby to report on some of the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and how it has affected my education. To commence with, Malawi education heavily relies on face to face interaction type of learning methods. This is so because 80% of Malawians have no access to cell phones of which only 30% have an access to internet which makes the online learning almost impossible for everyone.
The 2019-2020 academic year is the year which has its good and bad effects. It started as a simple thing in 2019 when I heard that there is this Covid-19 affecting the Europeans before it reached Africa, to this context, Malawi. It was just sounding as it is a simple case, but I learnt that the pandemic clamed many lives of people and that many people were being admitted in different hospitals. This was quite shocking to me, and even when I shared this with my grandma and niece.
On February 15th,2020, I left for the university to commence with the new academic year, which was also my third year, 1st semester. It was when we, students just stayed for a month when we were asked to leave back to our homes. This was just after the declaration was made by the former president that all public and private institutions (primary, secondary and higher learning institutions) should be closed. It was like a simple closure as many of student where expecting that schools would be opened shortly. But all our expectations ended in vain. We spend a very unexpected long holiday.
Looking on the effects which may follow if students spend long time without doing their studies, the university’s management came up with a decision that we should continue our studies through e-learning mode. There was no choice for students, but to accept and take that decision. With immediate effect, we started the e-learning program and wrote our mid semester examinations. I did well in some courses and not much better in other courses. There came the end of semester examinations which we also wrote through this e-learning mode. Many students were just writing with no much hope. But to my surprise, I did well. The results were just perfect and very clean.
With some changes and the coming of the new government. It was announced that schools might be opened, but in phases. And it happened in that way that at our university, only the fourth-year students were invited to continue with their studies on face to face mode. And the rest of the students were invited to go on 5th October. And things were just happening in rush. Time was not on our side, that on 25th October, we sat for the mid semester examinations. So, you may guess how tough it was by looking this time frame.
On 11th December is when we began writing the end of second semester examination, and this means, finishing my 3rd year of my studies. We just finished yesterday, 22nd December. And students will be waiting for their results till January 13th, when the Senet will meet for evaluation and decide for the outcomes. Results will be out.
SOME OF THE EFFECTS OF COVID-19 ENCOUNTERED DURING THE E-LEARNING MODE
The closure of schools due to Covid-19 affected the education system as the whole and individual learners. During the time as I was doing my studies on electronic learning mode, I encountered the following problems:
Frequently blackouts
The time I was writing my examinations online, there were too much blackouts. It was happening that when the lecture has sent the exams with the time frame of sending the feedback, I would start answering too late due to electric faults. This means that the time of answering the whole exam paper was minimises with some more minutes and or even hours.
The e-learning mode was cost
During the time, I was studying through online, I had to use more airtime to buy volume bundles so that I may be able to search for some information on google. The online examinations were not simple as many students were expecting. Since they were open book exams, students were asked more difficult questions that we may even fail to find them on google. The bundle sometimes was finished without get what we were looking for.
Taking exams outside classrooms and in adverse weather
The time I was having my studies through online mode, I was denied access to use the library which belongs to St Joseph’s Teachers Training College. This was just the measure they had to put. So, I had to place myself in corridors and at open place where I was feeling cold and write my exams. This happened for two weeks. I forced myself to stay in that conditions as it was only the supportive environments needed to focus on learning, up to the misalignment between resources and needs.
E-learning was not much efficiency and effective
The time we were having online studies, a lot of notes summaries and books were being sent without any explanation. The lecturer would even ask us to download books which were making it more expensive, and we even failed to find some as they were un downloadable. It was very hard for me to read a book with no any introduction from the teacher.
Network challenges
This is another challenge which I encountered in the e-learning mode of studying. All the time we were writing the examinations, we were sending then at 00:00 hours. So, it was happening that when I was done with the paper, and the time has come for me to send the examination to the course lecturer, it used to fail being sent due to poor network.
THE BENEFIT OF E-LEARNING
Even though e-learning had some its challenges, it has favoured many students from the Catholic University of Malawi in the way that the university calendar of activities has been maintained. Our university is the only one which managed to offer its students with online studies using the google class to the fully despite anything. This means that if students were supposed to finish their studies in the time frame of four years, it will be remained that four years.
And from the online mode of learning, I’ve learnt some skills on how it is done, how the assignment or examinations can be sent through google class. And another thing I have learned from e-learning is to courage enough. I was very full of fears when I was taking exams of some courses that I felt were tough for me, that I even asked Jack van Uden to allow me quite those exams. But he couldn’t allow me to do that. Instead, he encouraged me to write them. By the end of the semester, I got the results favouring me.
Lastly, I would like to give vote of thanks to the family of Jack van Uden for the support they provide me in terms of clothing and other things. I would also like to give a vote of thanks to the board of StandUp4Talent for paying me university fees, always in good time. May the Almighty God bless all board members and give you all your needs!
Receive greetings from my grandma, my niece Beda and I myself.
WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISMAS AND A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!!!!!!
