He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human creation which rejects progress is the cemetery.

In recent times, the world has found itself grappling with the harsh realities of COVID-19pandemic. In its disruptive wake, it has characterised many sectors struggling to fill the gap which has been widened vastly. While some sectors have recorded some success in adapting to it, others are forced to come to bear the consequences.

In Nigeria, the education sector is one that needs an urgent restructuring to enable the youths to easily access quality education irrespective of their gender and locality.

Because of the COVID-19 existence and its ability to spread sporadically, if social distancing and proper hand-washing with soap and water are not adhered to, there was the need for a lockdown order by the Federal and state governments, to help curtail the spread of the virus.

This means that there has to be restriction of movement, closure of businesses, religious and social gatherings. Schools were not left out.

The only exemption was essential service providers such as food, markets, hospitals, etc.

In a bid to close the gaps which exist as a result of this pandemic on the education sector in Nigeria, the federal and state governments came up with an innovative plan to introduce E-learning courses that can be accessed on a data-free site. Also, they introduced the teaching of some subjects on radio and television stations, to further promote learning opportunities, especially those preparing for WASCE.

There is a name for this system which was introduced: It is Distance Learning.

Distance learning is not novel to the educational sector as it was popularised by the National Open University (NOUN). Due to its novelty (?) at the time of introduction, it was fraught with great criticism from accreditation institutions.

NOUN must have bought the future than when it was cheap. The existence of the National Open University has afforded a large number of people access to quality education in their own space and time. Its flexibility allows for online courses being downloaded from the portal, Tutor Marked Assignments (TMAs) being taken from the comfort of one’s abode, access to online lectures.

This was also assisted with physical lectures called facilitation, especially for complex courses like law.

Thus, while some institutions are struggling to adapt to this system, NOUN is thriving because of what it has known all its existence. NOUN surely came with a message that lives in his presence. It is ironical that it took the novel Coronavirus to vindicate this great institution and bring to fore the issues that plagued our educational system.

Intuition is the name we give to the way awareness apprehends us.

I urge the federal and state governments to provide more budgetary allocation to the education sector. Education remains a right, one that should not be eroded in the midst of this pandemic.

Finally, I will urge the kite to perch, and the eagle to perch too, for there exists, now, a united approach to learning.

•Ruhamah Ifere is a final year law student of NOUN.

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