COVID-19: Reps to monitor PTF activities

…Want e-learning system instituted in education sector

The House of Representatives is to monitor activities of the Presidential Task Force on COVID- 19 and all activities related to the management of the pandemic in the country.

Inaugurating a COVID-19 committee on Tuesday, Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila said the committee was set up as part of the House resolve to constantly work for the best interest of the Nigerians.

He said: “Nothing defines a nation more than how its leaders and its people rise to the seismic crises that manifest, often without warning, and must be confronted and overcome one way or the other.

“We now face such a defining crisis. And we too will face the judgment of history. It is in our hands to determine what that judgment will be.

“The 18 -man committee we have come to inaugurate reflects the intention of the House of Representative to engage the executive arm of government in a partnership that serves the best interests of the Nigerian people as we join hands to confront and conquer the most severe challenge of our lives.”

The speaker directed members of the committee to ensure that the operations of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 are conducted according to international best practices.

“Your role is to add value by serving as a link between the task force and the National Assembly, and with the Nigerian people whose interests we all serve, and to whom we are all answerable.

“It is also your responsibility to ensure that those of our citizens; doctors, nurses and all the health workers on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19 receive the full protection they deserve, and the benefits they have so honourably earned.

“You have the rare opportunity to write your legacy in gold and I am confident that you will meet that opportunity.

“I urge you to face this responsibility with a sense of urgency and the utmost integrity, rest assured of my support and the support of the entire House of Representatives,” Gbajabiamila added.

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Chairman of the committee, Rep. Haruna Mshelia said the committee will engage all agencies involved in the management of the pandemic with a view to ensuring that the gains are not lost post COVID- 19.

Also, the House of Representatives has urged the Federal Ministry of Education to urgently develop a national policy and framework for online education for schools at various levels.

The resolution was sequel to the unanimous adoption of a motion by Rep. Aniekan Umanah (PDP-Cross River) at the plenary on Tuesday.

Moving the motion, Umanah said that the outbreak of coronavirus has altered the educational calendar globally.

Quoting UNESCO, he said that most governments around the world had temporarily closed schools in order to contain the spread of the virus.

The lawmaker said that the closures were impacting over 72 percent of the world student population.

“This has brought significant setback to academic endeavours, with far-reaching impacts on the more vulnerable and disadvantaged countries, such as Nigeria.

“The closure of schools, occasioned by COVID-19, has kept over 1.2 billion children out of the classroom and as a result, education has changed drastically, with the increase in the use of e-learning, whereby teaching is undertaken remotely and on digital platforms.

“This sudden event has caused a shift from the classrooms in our nation’s schools.

“Teachers and students have been forced to adjust and adapt to this unplanned rapid move to online teaching and learning, with no structure, training and equipment tools, and are faced with inadequate preparations,” he said.

According to the lawmaker, e-learning approach takes time and it is a gradual system of learning, adding that schools and colleges will have to develop modular structure for it.

He also said that a database and e-learning pattern, supported with efficient communication and internet, must be in place.

Umanah recalled that the Federal Ministry of Education had announced a free e-learning portal, intended to create access to online education across the nation as well as radio and television classrooms.

He said that this had remained mere intentions, as reports had indicated that it was not working and, therefore, not serving the desired need of closing the educational gaps.

Umanah attributed this to lack of instructional design and implementation, including lack of cognitive psychology tools to support e-learning.

He said that with the present situation, Nigeria’s educational system was lagging behind by not being functionally awake to the present reality of online education.

The lawmaker said that research had shown that the level of online learning and preparedness in Nigeria was about 10 percent.

He stressed the need for urgent steps to salvage the already battered educational system, which he said, had further been humbled and bruised by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The house urged other educational regulatory bodies across the country to incorporate online education and modular system into school curricular across the country.

In his ruling, the Speaker, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, mandated the House Committees on Basic and Tertiary Education to ensure compliance.