COVID-19 Pandemic: Edo State Pupils And Parents Share Interesting Experiences With WhatsApp, Zoom Lessons

For the past few months, schools nationwide have been on lockdown as a result of the ravaging coronavirus pandemic and in a bid to keep the academic calender running without any disruption, many schools opted for E-learning.

According to reports, pupils in Benin City, the capital of the state, are being taught through Zoom and WhatsApp, and a number of them have found the learning experience interesting.

A Primary 5 pupil of Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN) Nursery and Primary School, Benin City, Rabi Abubakar, said she was enjoying WhatsApp lessons with her teacher. Miss Abubakar said,

“I and my siblings are receiving the lessons through my mother’s phone. A teacher will send video lessons and assignments by WhatsApp, and we also copy notes and answer questions.”

Another pupil from Sky Point International School, Benin, Abigail, said the online programme was “interesting” as pupils continued to learn at home during the lockdown. According to Abigail,

“We are using our parents’ phones to listen to our teachers and then do assignments given to us. We are happy with the programme.”

Some of the parents who spoke to our reporter commended the schools for the development, but noted that pupils whose parents did not have smart phones were not participating.

A member of the FOMWAN Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), Hassan Imuekeme, who spoke to Daily Trust, described the online lessons as a welcome development. Mr. Imuekeme said,

“The lessons keep children busy at home. Teachers always engage them with assignments through WhatsApp. My children are happy with it, once they copy the questions; they solve them using their textbooks or google.”

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Another parent, Mrs. Ibrahim, also applauded the schools for the initiative, and said;

“It is better for the children than just sitting at home watching television. Now they are engaged through virtual learning.

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The teachers started by sending videos by WhatsApp and the children will listen and do assignments and send the answers through the same channel. Three weeks after, they came up with Zoom, and the children are seeing their teachers in video conferencing and screen sharing.”

She said the major challenge was that some children did not have devices to take part in the online lessons, and added that,

“We now spend more on data, but it is a good programme and they should keep it up.”

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The Headmistress of FOMWAN Nursery and Primary School, Benin City, Mrs. Mariam Abdulhamid, said the online lessons which started in May, 2020, would last throughout the COVID-19 restrictions. Mrs. Abduhamid said,

“It is beneficial to the pupils and parents, and we believe that this is better than doing nothing during this period.”