Higher education students' learning in COVID-19 pandemic period : the Ethiopian context

This article analyzes the stand taken by Ethiopia’s higher education institutions when providing students’ learning during the COVID-19 period while institutions are closed in order to contain the virus. These institutions have a recent history of low research and technological advancement globally. The effects of the COVID-19are wide ranging and endangering students’ learning. The study investigates how public universities are attempting to deliver learning remotely in order to support students as well as exploring challenges and opportunities following the institutions’ efforts to minimize the risks of the pandemic. The result shows that, when compared with universities in other countries, neither the government nor the universities took concerted measures to sustain undergraduate students learning. Undergraduate, graduate and Ph.D. learning in universities was interrupted until May 2020 and many questioned the quality, graduate and PhD students’ learning as continued online. The inequality between undergraduate students will be sustained and widened if this situation continues, universities must develop and apply concerted efforts to better use remote learning. In Ethiopia, the current pandemic challenges higher education institutions’ response to the crisis. Large sections of students have the least technology support, without government and universities support we may create a lost generation in the COVID-19 pandemic period. Therefore, the pandemic must be use as a turning point for Ethiopian universities to bring long-lasting changes.