Opinion! Why students are reluctant on resuming face to face learning

Piece by: Marion Kageni
Exclusives

Amid corona virus pandemic, the world shut down and had to find alternative means of going about the day to day activities especially in the education sector.

In Kenya, schools were reluctant on adapting to this new technology as opposed to face to face which everybody favored.

Eventually, institutions had to comply and yielded to the demand as life must go on anyway.

Months later, the Cabinet Secretary for education George Magoha ordered for schools to reopen in adherence to the COVID19 measures put in place.

Everybody was expected to be happy right? After all that is what students and teachers wanted but here comes a turn of events.

The enjoyment of learning online was too good to just ditch it like that.

Students in particular are still reluctant on resuming to classes on the argument that cases of infections are on the rise which is a reasonable argument, but for others there was joy in online learning.

For most, online learning is very much flexible. Unlike on face to face learning whereon is required to leave everything and go attend classes religiously, in online classes one can be able to multitask.

There is sweetness in doing laundry or folding clothes while still learning, this works best for those who are allowed to have an audio call.

For those who are required to press that camera button and face the lecture as he/she teaches, there is still the comfort part of it.

Who wouldn’t enjoy doing studies at the comfort of their home?

With everything at one’s own disposal and not go through the hustle of buying food, paying for transport and of course the juicy part of it not having to wake up early meet the traffic and in some cases still not make it to the session.

It is interesting to note the change of heart is within such a short period.

The once reluctant and focused students who yearned for the real deal in terms of physical representation and willing to wait till January to get “quality” education have now fallen deeply in love with the technology they so much resented.

This being said, not everyone is still buying the online package idea which equally makes sense right?

I mean how will journalism students for example, learn to edit or operate a camera online?

With the cases rising to a tally of 64,588 and deaths increasing to 1154 there is a valid reason why parents, students and even the lecturers themselves fear for themselves and their families.

Since the vaccine is yet to be finalized under the scientists’ procedures then juggling both online and face to face would be the safest yet effective method.

In the sense that to minimize human interactions the units which are more theoretical can be taught online while the practical ones done face to face, till there is a glimmer of hope in terms of the new vaccine introduced by the WHO to the world.