Abstract:The COVID-19 Contagion, since it became a pandemic, has left deleterious footprints on different parts of the globe. In Botswana, as the government and institutions grapple with ways to adapt and be resilient to the effects of the scourge, some positive and significant achievements have been realised. The Botswana Open University, even before this was declared a pandemic by WHO in March 2020, proactively put in place a task team to, among other calls, advise management on ways to effectively deal with the effects of the pandemic and ensure smooth business continuity. This chapter discusses the coordinated response mix that the BOU Management takes in order to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The response has passed through a spectrum from the creation of a dedicated Task Team to be part of the response strategy, controlled working from home, to making enhanced online application of ICT and other Technology Enabled Teaching and Learning. The work also presents the continuous adaptations that the University makes, to provide it with the resilience that is necessary for its business continuity. At the end, the project briefly highlights how the educational landscape in Botswana changes with the prevalence of COVID-19 and opportunities that emanate from that for Botswana Open University.
{"title":"Business Repositioning at Botswana Open University in the Face of COVID-19","authors":"S. Aiyuk, L. Tladi, Freeson Kaniwa","doi":"10.1353/aap.2021.0016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/aap.2021.0016","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract:The COVID-19 Contagion, since it became a pandemic, has left deleterious footprints on different parts of the globe. In Botswana, as the government and institutions grapple with ways to adapt and be resilient to the effects of the scourge, some positive and significant achievements have been realised. The Botswana Open University, even before this was declared a pandemic by WHO in March 2020, proactively put in place a task team to, among other calls, advise management on ways to effectively deal with the effects of the pandemic and ensure smooth business continuity. This chapter discusses the coordinated response mix that the BOU Management takes in order to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The response has passed through a spectrum from the creation of a dedicated Task Team to be part of the response strategy, controlled working from home, to making enhanced online application of ICT and other Technology Enabled Teaching and Learning. The work also presents the continuous adaptations that the University makes, to provide it with the resilience that is necessary for its business continuity. At the end, the project briefly highlights how the educational landscape in Botswana changes with the prevalence of COVID-19 and opportunities that emanate from that for Botswana Open University.","PeriodicalId":120795,"journal":{"name":"Alliance for African Partnership Perspectives","volume":"129 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125008094","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
B. Nawangwe, A. M. Muwagga, M. Buyinza, Fred Masaazi Masagazi
Abstract:The reflections in this article are drawn from a study "Investing in Data and Evidence to Inform Education Policy in Response to The New Normal Caused by Covid 19 Pandemic in Uganda." The study investigated how the various education stakeholders fitted into "the new normal" in accordance to the tripartite university roles namely: Teaching and learning, research and Community engagements / networking. A multiple case study approach informed this largely qualitative inquiry. Online interviews, and documentary reviews were used to generate the study narratives. Data analysis followed a more descriptive approach of coding of key words, and phrases in order to pinpoint common responses. Using a reflective approach, the article answers the following questions: How did the various university stakeholders respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic lock down? Are African (Uganda Universities) in particular prepared to positively encounter or take advantage unforeseen shocks? What strategies can we suggest to mitigate the plethora of pedagogical challenges created by the COVID-19 Pandemic shock? What will be the future of University Education after the COVID-19 Pandemic lock down? The implication of the study finding is that there is need to re-evaluate education/university funding as well as the need to integrate blended pedagogy at levels of education in Uganda more especially at university level.
{"title":"Reflections on University Education in Uganda and the COVID-19 Pandemic Shock: Responses and Lessons Learned","authors":"B. Nawangwe, A. M. Muwagga, M. Buyinza, Fred Masaazi Masagazi","doi":"10.1353/aap.2021.0002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/aap.2021.0002","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract:The reflections in this article are drawn from a study \"Investing in Data and Evidence to Inform Education Policy in Response to The New Normal Caused by Covid 19 Pandemic in Uganda.\" The study investigated how the various education stakeholders fitted into \"the new normal\" in accordance to the tripartite university roles namely: Teaching and learning, research and Community engagements / networking. A multiple case study approach informed this largely qualitative inquiry. Online interviews, and documentary reviews were used to generate the study narratives. Data analysis followed a more descriptive approach of coding of key words, and phrases in order to pinpoint common responses. Using a reflective approach, the article answers the following questions: How did the various university stakeholders respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic lock down? Are African (Uganda Universities) in particular prepared to positively encounter or take advantage unforeseen shocks? What strategies can we suggest to mitigate the plethora of pedagogical challenges created by the COVID-19 Pandemic shock? What will be the future of University Education after the COVID-19 Pandemic lock down? The implication of the study finding is that there is need to re-evaluate education/university funding as well as the need to integrate blended pedagogy at levels of education in Uganda more especially at university level.","PeriodicalId":120795,"journal":{"name":"Alliance for African Partnership Perspectives","volume":"10 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127510565","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
O. Adeyemo, S. Alarape, V. Adetunji, David T. Afolayan
Abstract:The Covid-19 pandemic, spreading first to Europe, then to Africa has drastically shifted priorities and created a large amount of uncertainty. The question of what shape recovery from the pandemic will take and what the new normal entails is still up in the air, but there are lessons we can already glean. In Nigeria, the pandemic brought to the fore gaps occasioned by decades of negligence of social infrastructure development including healthcare (hospitals), education (schools and universities), etc. and social services. Industry was ill-prepared and were more focused on donating to the government rather than anticipating and fulfilling their responsibilities to their employees and clients. The wide indiscipline of the populace (non-compliance with rules and regulation) has continued to propagate the spread of Covid-19, while Covid-19 amplified the sharp division along professional lines. This article will be taking an introspective path, reflecting on fundamental notions of responsibility, looking at individual accountability as the essence of good corporate citizenship. We will also be exploring University leadership, local and international partnerships, and the role of stakeholders in every sector. These insights will assist in reimagining individual and corporate responsibilities, and partnerships as Nigeria navigates the pandemic-induced "new normal."
{"title":"COVID-19 Pandemic in Nigeria: Lessons on Responsibility, University Leadership, and Navigating the New Normal","authors":"O. Adeyemo, S. Alarape, V. Adetunji, David T. Afolayan","doi":"10.1353/aap.2021.0003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/aap.2021.0003","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract:The Covid-19 pandemic, spreading first to Europe, then to Africa has drastically shifted priorities and created a large amount of uncertainty. The question of what shape recovery from the pandemic will take and what the new normal entails is still up in the air, but there are lessons we can already glean. In Nigeria, the pandemic brought to the fore gaps occasioned by decades of negligence of social infrastructure development including healthcare (hospitals), education (schools and universities), etc. and social services. Industry was ill-prepared and were more focused on donating to the government rather than anticipating and fulfilling their responsibilities to their employees and clients. The wide indiscipline of the populace (non-compliance with rules and regulation) has continued to propagate the spread of Covid-19, while Covid-19 amplified the sharp division along professional lines. This article will be taking an introspective path, reflecting on fundamental notions of responsibility, looking at individual accountability as the essence of good corporate citizenship. We will also be exploring University leadership, local and international partnerships, and the role of stakeholders in every sector. These insights will assist in reimagining individual and corporate responsibilities, and partnerships as Nigeria navigates the pandemic-induced \"new normal.\"","PeriodicalId":120795,"journal":{"name":"Alliance for African Partnership Perspectives","volume":"34 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133836913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
S. Stanley, Tawana Kupe, I. Thioub, David Norris, R. Mwonya
{"title":"AAP Universities' Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learned and Shared","authors":"S. Stanley, Tawana Kupe, I. Thioub, David Norris, R. Mwonya","doi":"10.1353/aap.2021.0001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/aap.2021.0001","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":120795,"journal":{"name":"Alliance for African Partnership Perspectives","volume":"45 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131121505","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract:In this chapter, using qualitative research methods, I accounted for the strategies adopted by the management of Dominican University to help students continue their educational activities during COVID -19 pandemic. The challenges experienced by students using the online learning platform and strategies they devised to manage these challenges were also examined. The Dominican University switched to online learning method during the lock down. Students were faced with various challenges during their on line classes. These include erratic power supply, high cost of data bundle for Internet connection, and poor network connection among others. To manage these challenges, students resorted to the use of generators and power banks to charge their electronic devices, some went and lived with friends or relatives living in areas with stable network connection to receive their lectures. The online learning made the lecturers and students more Internet savvy and enabled students continued their lectures without disruption. However, students missed the face to face interaction with their lecturers and fellow students. Coming back on campus after the lock down, the management of Dominican University provided taps and wash hand basins at strategic places in the school, made compulsory the use of face masks as well as discourage the crowding of students at the cafeteria to ensure the students safety. The study recommended that for online learning to be effective in higher institutions in Nigeria there is need for stable power supply and good Internet connection.
{"title":"Strategies of the Dominican University Nigeria in Coping with the COVID-19 Pandemic","authors":"Obiageli C. Okoye","doi":"10.1353/aap.2021.0005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/aap.2021.0005","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract:In this chapter, using qualitative research methods, I accounted for the strategies adopted by the management of Dominican University to help students continue their educational activities during COVID -19 pandemic. The challenges experienced by students using the online learning platform and strategies they devised to manage these challenges were also examined. The Dominican University switched to online learning method during the lock down. Students were faced with various challenges during their on line classes. These include erratic power supply, high cost of data bundle for Internet connection, and poor network connection among others. To manage these challenges, students resorted to the use of generators and power banks to charge their electronic devices, some went and lived with friends or relatives living in areas with stable network connection to receive their lectures. The online learning made the lecturers and students more Internet savvy and enabled students continued their lectures without disruption. However, students missed the face to face interaction with their lecturers and fellow students. Coming back on campus after the lock down, the management of Dominican University provided taps and wash hand basins at strategic places in the school, made compulsory the use of face masks as well as discourage the crowding of students at the cafeteria to ensure the students safety. The study recommended that for online learning to be effective in higher institutions in Nigeria there is need for stable power supply and good Internet connection.","PeriodicalId":120795,"journal":{"name":"Alliance for African Partnership Perspectives","volume":"106 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121726968","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract:The University of Pretoria in South Africa's Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology presents an undergraduate compulsory Community Engagement Module course. The project orientated course must be completed within the allocated eighty notional hours. Students do at least forty hours of fieldwork and, after that, reflect on their experiences through various assignments. More than 1900 students were enrolled in the module during 2020. The students were required to engage in a community service project in which they can apply their knowledge to uplift the community. During 2020 with the COVID-19 national lockdown, students were compelled to find alternative projects to address the community's needs without leaving their homes. Projects that they identified included: developing mobile applications for Mathematics projects as well as a homelessness project, helping teachers with their online teaching, designing and creating websites and videos to assist with Mathematics teaching, and making facial masks for disadvantaged communities and clinics. The reflection piece will discuss how the module adapted to off-site community projects, the various projects the students executed, and the lessons learnt on changing the format of the module in a time of crisis.
{"title":"A Community-University Partnership: Responding to COVID-19 in South Africa via the University of Pretoria's Community Engagement Initiative","authors":"M. Jordaan, N. Mennega","doi":"10.1353/aap.2021.0014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/aap.2021.0014","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract:The University of Pretoria in South Africa's Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology presents an undergraduate compulsory Community Engagement Module course. The project orientated course must be completed within the allocated eighty notional hours. Students do at least forty hours of fieldwork and, after that, reflect on their experiences through various assignments. More than 1900 students were enrolled in the module during 2020. The students were required to engage in a community service project in which they can apply their knowledge to uplift the community. During 2020 with the COVID-19 national lockdown, students were compelled to find alternative projects to address the community's needs without leaving their homes. Projects that they identified included: developing mobile applications for Mathematics projects as well as a homelessness project, helping teachers with their online teaching, designing and creating websites and videos to assist with Mathematics teaching, and making facial masks for disadvantaged communities and clinics. The reflection piece will discuss how the module adapted to off-site community projects, the various projects the students executed, and the lessons learnt on changing the format of the module in a time of crisis.","PeriodicalId":120795,"journal":{"name":"Alliance for African Partnership Perspectives","volume":"30 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133070508","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
F. Keïta, Binta Koïta, Aboubacar Niamabélé, Weloré Tamboura
Abstract:The global lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak affected, in many regards, education institutions' activities worldwide. In the Malian context, where in-class or face-to-face teaching/learning was standard, it led, to a significant degree, to major disruptions in the teaching/learning process. Due to the government's lack of official concerted strategies and mechanisms to mitigate education loss, Malian universities, separately, developed independent schemes as to address students' needs. This study aims at shedding light on the academic strategies adopted by Malian universities in facing the COVID pandemic. Based on a qualitative research method, our investigation covers exclusively public universities because, in terms of policies, private universities operate out of the governments control. This research is built on interviews covering key members of the education fields: deans, chancellors, heads of departments, and teachers. The data collected from this investigation give some insights into the government's anti-COVID plans nationwide and a glimpse of how public universities dealt with this crisis, and finally, some prospects for the future.
{"title":"Facing COVID-19 Pandemic Learning/Teaching Challenges: Lessons and Perspectives from Malian Universities","authors":"F. Keïta, Binta Koïta, Aboubacar Niamabélé, Weloré Tamboura","doi":"10.1353/aap.2021.0004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/aap.2021.0004","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract:The global lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak affected, in many regards, education institutions' activities worldwide. In the Malian context, where in-class or face-to-face teaching/learning was standard, it led, to a significant degree, to major disruptions in the teaching/learning process. Due to the government's lack of official concerted strategies and mechanisms to mitigate education loss, Malian universities, separately, developed independent schemes as to address students' needs. This study aims at shedding light on the academic strategies adopted by Malian universities in facing the COVID pandemic. Based on a qualitative research method, our investigation covers exclusively public universities because, in terms of policies, private universities operate out of the governments control. This research is built on interviews covering key members of the education fields: deans, chancellors, heads of departments, and teachers. The data collected from this investigation give some insights into the government's anti-COVID plans nationwide and a glimpse of how public universities dealt with this crisis, and finally, some prospects for the future.","PeriodicalId":120795,"journal":{"name":"Alliance for African Partnership Perspectives","volume":"24 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125954805","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract:The COVID-19 pandemic declared a public health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March, 2020 has disrupted teaching and learning and has brought about mental, social and psychological challenges for university faculty and students not only in Africa but worldwide. The closure of face-to-face teaching and learning in academic institutions has meant that millions of students and faculty have had to indefinitely stay, learn and work from home. Having to adopt an emergency migration to full online courses following the governments' directive to close campuses, many of the universities in Africa were ill prepared in terms of infrastructure, online skills on the part of faculty and students, appropriate devices, internet connectivity and in many cases electricity and power connectivity. These and the measures taken to limit the spread the COVID-19 has led to many mental and psychological effects including post-traumatic stress symptoms, depression, feelings of confusion, anger, fear and substance misuse. A review of articles from journals and advisories in addition to the experience working in USIU Africa was used to reflect on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychosocial wellbeing of faculty and students and the interventions universities have in place to address mental health issues during the COVID-19 period and beyond. The findings showed that faculty and students are vulnerable to the physical, mental and psychosocial effects of COVID-19 and recommends; awareness creation on the mental and psychosocial effects of COVID-19, embracing of change, training the mental health service providers, developing a culture where people seek mental health services and universities being inclusive, responsive and student friendly as they work towards resilience in the new normal.
{"title":"The Mental and Psychosocial Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on University Faculty and Students","authors":"R. Rono, Kung'u Lucy Waithera","doi":"10.1353/aap.2021.0009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/aap.2021.0009","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract:The COVID-19 pandemic declared a public health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March, 2020 has disrupted teaching and learning and has brought about mental, social and psychological challenges for university faculty and students not only in Africa but worldwide. The closure of face-to-face teaching and learning in academic institutions has meant that millions of students and faculty have had to indefinitely stay, learn and work from home. Having to adopt an emergency migration to full online courses following the governments' directive to close campuses, many of the universities in Africa were ill prepared in terms of infrastructure, online skills on the part of faculty and students, appropriate devices, internet connectivity and in many cases electricity and power connectivity. These and the measures taken to limit the spread the COVID-19 has led to many mental and psychological effects including post-traumatic stress symptoms, depression, feelings of confusion, anger, fear and substance misuse. A review of articles from journals and advisories in addition to the experience working in USIU Africa was used to reflect on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychosocial wellbeing of faculty and students and the interventions universities have in place to address mental health issues during the COVID-19 period and beyond. The findings showed that faculty and students are vulnerable to the physical, mental and psychosocial effects of COVID-19 and recommends; awareness creation on the mental and psychosocial effects of COVID-19, embracing of change, training the mental health service providers, developing a culture where people seek mental health services and universities being inclusive, responsive and student friendly as they work towards resilience in the new normal.","PeriodicalId":120795,"journal":{"name":"Alliance for African Partnership Perspectives","volume":"6 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128450212","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Future Directions: Next Generation of Partnerships for Africa's Post-COVID World","authors":"R. Mkandawire, Amy J. Jamison, J. Jackson-Malete","doi":"10.1353/aap.2021.0018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1353/aap.2021.0018","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":120795,"journal":{"name":"Alliance for African Partnership Perspectives","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129790232","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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