•  
  •  
 

Howard University Journal of African Studies (HUJAS)

Abstract

The COVID-19 global pandemic has caused significant disruption to the continuity of instruction in many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (Africa Centers for Disease Control, 2020). School closures that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated Sub-Saharan Africa’s acute problems with the education systems, especially in terms of access to human and financial resources to effectively make education accessible and equitable to all students. Education in Sub-Saharan Africa has been recognized by education researchers and policy makers as one of the world’s most significant problems (Asongu and Odhiambo 2019; Dembélé and Lefoka 2007; UNESCO Institute for Statistics 2011). The continuation of education is a critical component of school emergency management, as these efforts provide a continuity of learning in circumstances that disrupt attendance for students (U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Safe and Healthy Students, 2013). In a joint statement to the African education sector on the continuity of learning during COVID-19, the African Union (AU) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF, 2020) encouraged the development of digital connectivity throughout all regions in Africa. The two organizations further urged African governments to promote in earnest online learning, internet safety, and the use of multiple modes of information and communication technology (ICT), including radio, television, podcasts, and e-learning, and to prepare teachers to become effective facilitators and motivators of learning in this new teaching and learning environment. This research study aims to identify key factors that influenced a rural Ghanaian primary school’s effort to create viable solutions to continue instructional delivery using WhatsApp and local radio programming during Ghana’s COVID-19 emergency school lockdowns. A broader goal of the study is to recommend a course of action for viable emergency education protocols that could be initiated during future emergency and disaster situations and to influence policy to address the inequitable distribution of ICT resources in Ghana.

Download

Share

COinS