Not a few people have heard about the phrase “New Normal.” Though like wildfire, it has traveled across different places in such a short time, the interesting thing about it is that the meaning it travels with changes according to the circumstances of the group of people asked. To those in the health sector, it is a new phase of tightened health measures and better health response. To those in the corporate world, it is a new era of redefined work experience and keying into the future of work. To an enigma like Professor Toyin Falola, the new normal holds different things for Africa than merely meet the eyes. To him, this new phase has started redirecting the way humans rationalise and implement strategies for nation-building and, as expected, has sprung up the need to re-evaluate the status quo and plan ahead to key into the imminent rapid changes sweeping across the world like a whirlwind.
This perspective of Toyin Falola was what took the day at the convocation ceremony of the Federal University, Lokoja, Nigeria, on November 11, 2021, where the prominent African history scholar delivered the convocation lecture titled ‘Africa and the Double Pandemic: COVID-19, Terrorism, and the Future of Education in the New Normal.’
Noting that a continent like Africa would not have it easy progressing unless the impacts that the COVID-19 virus has had on it are analyzed and solutions on how to mitigate the implications and move on to better things are suggested.
The don drew attention to the rather unfortunate incidents that have befallen the continent from the start of 2020.
He noted that it was sad that a continent still battling long-term political instability and internal economic instability was also hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike other western countries, this hit met a fickle system in place, and as expected, it was like a tragedy for the continent. For one, it bolstered the capabilities of terrorists in Africa, affected education, and plummeted the economy of the continent, leading to a triple disaster outcome for Africa.
In his words: “As this happened, terrorism was given an open opportunity to fester and grow and continually ravage the continent through its ruthless activities, including the destruction of lives and property. For Africa, this creates a case of a double tragedy having to, on the one hand, deploy resources and medical expertise to battle the pandemic and curb its spread and, on the other hand, ensure that the perennial problem of terrorism is eradicated. Sadly, none of these tragedies has been successfully tackled. Rather, death tolls caused by the pandemic keep increasing, and concomitantly, insecurity and terrorism keep bolstering.”
While the COVID-19 pandemic and terrorism in Africa were highlighted by the professor of history, adequate attention was also drawn to the effects of the pandemic on the economic outlook of the continent.
Professor Falola noted that the downturn of the global economy triggered by the pandemic did not leave African countries out.
Having lost many of the economic reserves to a pandemic that was unprepared for, it was obvious that to survive, external help needed to be sought. This pushed many African countries to what seems to be a spree of borrowing, consequently leading to accumulating debts, which will continue to have effects on the future development of the continent.
With a focus on terrorism in Africa, the professor spoke at length on the effects of terrorism on education and how, if nothing tangible is done, the future of education in Africa is endangered. According to him, the continued education of Africans and the resultant effect of instilling liberating minds in African youths threaten the survival of terrorists.
He noted that: “A truly educated mind, which is largely free from the clutches of poorly informed dogma, will most likely not take on the extremist or fanatic end of any religious, socio-economic, or tribal creed… Due to the plethora of challenges that education poses to the festering of terrorism, the merchants of insurgency strive hard to frustrate the continued enlightenment of people’s minds, most especially the young. Terrorist groups worldwide and overwhelmingly in Africa go to extreme lengths to engage in activities and employ strategies that keep as many youngsters as possible out of the various institutions of learning.”
This strategy of terrorists in Africa is one of the key factors threatening the future of education in Africa. He pointed out how the activities of these terrorists continue to instill fear in the minds of parents and their wards. He noted that when families experience terrorism attacks in schools, their morale is dampened, and those who are lucky enough to survive the incidents are overwhelmed by the emotional and psychological trauma that they find it difficult to move beyond that phase and return to school.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Africa’s education was also addressed by the erudite scholar. The inadequacies of public institutions that forced students out of constant intellectual and liberating engagement led them to venture into other avenues, many of which have proven to be inimical to their own personal growth as well as the development of Africa. As an academic and a progressive scholar, the professor also touched on what the future of education will look like in the new normal.
“The effects on education have clearly shown that there has to be a revamp of the current educational system in Africa. This is so that it will not just compete with other standard educational systems across the world but will be flexible enough to adjust to emergencies such as the one created by the coronavirus without necessarily having ripple effects on the progress and trajectory of learning on the continent. In this light, it is important to work toward fitting the educational system of Africa into the operations of a “New Normal,” he added.
In fitting the education of Africa into the new normal, Falola resolved that at least three boxes would have to be checked by policymakers and stakeholders. He stated that first, where and how educational learning takes place henceforth has to be sorted out.
In doing this, it is important that there is an identifiable agent that bolsters the change in the educational sector. Hence, the important question of what the classroom will look like and what it will achieve is germane.
Secondly, he considered the effect of the education being received by African students on their lives. Importantly, according to him, identifying how the educational system can prepare the students for life beyond their schools and examinations is a sine qua non.
Thirdly and finally, Falola brought the challenges of inequality to bear. He charged stakeholders, policymakers, and the general public to devise strategies to combat the challenges of inequality pervading the educational system in Africa. According to him, when all of these are put in place, Africa’s education can easily key into the new normal and compete with its peers globally.
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