Rape And Pandemic: The Awaken Reality Of The Day -By Edeh Okpekwu Gabriel

Efforts to stem the spread of COVID-19 through non-pharmaceutical interventions and preventive measures such as social-distancing and self-isolation have prompted the widespread closure of primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions in over 100 countries. This in no doubt has affected many learners.

The world before the reality of Covid-19 pandemic, already experiencing a global learning crisis, as many students were in school, but were not learning the fundamental skills needed for life. The World Bank’s “Learning Poverty” indicator shows that the % of children who cannot read and understand at age 10 stood at 53% of children in low- and middle-income countries before the outbreak started. This pandemic has the potential to worsen these outcomes even more. One evidence of this is the fact that these children have been cut off from their lesson teachers who have been the providers of supplementary learning outside the classroom.

As governments around the world begin to implement COVID-19 lockdown exit plans, the ugly face of rape incident suddenly showcased itself.

With the recent outburst of rape cases around the country, we no longer limit concerns to the possibilities of our children being infected with Covid-19 through contact with teachers. We now need to further investigate the character and behaviour of those who take care of our kids and how while we are away.

These disturbing scenarios puts a strain on parents and guardians to provide childcare and manage learning activities for their children while they are out of school. In the absence of alternative options, working parents often leave children alone when schools close and this can lead to risky behaviour, including the increased influence of peer pressure and substance abuse.

While it may seem difficult to predict how the future will unfold during such uncertain times, some of the most pioneering work happening around us can guide us in our thinking. One thing to bear in mind is the fact that the job of responsible and productive parenting is getting tougher by the day.

While this remains a serious cause for concern, the fact that parents must work in order to fend for the family is equally important.

The question of how we balance between these two is why I have written this short piece.

Here are my suggested solutions:

1. Staying engaged: One of the most effective classroom control strategies I have employed in my teaching career is the habit of keeping children engaged with activities. This works even if I am out of the class. Thanks to my VP Academic Mr. Ikuyinminu for exposing me to this practice. Parents should learn to keep their children engaged with house chores, formulated tasks, or educational games. Children most often are less distractive when they are engaged.

2. Exposure to Creativities: According to UNESCO 2018, 75% of children love creative activities such as drawing, painting, weaving etc. Take advantage of this opportunity and encourage your children toward creativity. You can award them for writing stories or lyrics, drawings, or paintings, etc. When they are carried away with these, the chances of them participating in alternative behaviour becomes minimal.
3. Be their friend: Becoming a gist partner or what I called a gossip mate to your younger children avail them the opportunity to express their opinions about a certain world view. In this case, if their thoughts are wrong, you stand a better chance of correcting them on time. This style can also help them to relax their guilt-feeling which will further ameliorate deterred behaviour.

4. 4. Engagement in alternative learning: Alternative learning popularly known as e-learning is no doubt, the wake of the day. Instead of physical tutoring outside the classroom which has now posed a danger to the children’s lives, parents are now encouraged to engage children more on alternative learning when they away from the classroom. There are a handful of them out there that can give the children the best learning experience. One is Mentorbox. Mentorbox has hundreds of thousands of books in video format that can benefit learners even when they are not assisted.

The most effective e-learning platform for children in Nigeria right now is Homeclass (www.homeclass.com.ng). This platform contains lessons in various subjects for students ranging from primary 1 to SS 3. Lessons are provided with a focus on differentiated learning using videos, worksheets, and cognitive tests with interactive learners’ discussions. Students are scheduled a lesson daily from Monday to Saturday for a period of one month with parents adequately given feedback about their children learning progress. For security purposes, the student has less contact with humans and more with an algorithm designed by the teachers. All lessons are vetted by experts in each subject field. Little may be written about this, but you can try it on your own. That, you may gain further insight.

Conclusion

Remember, the behavioural state of our children has a long-lasting impact on our finances! Let’s be vigilant and be guided in all we do so as to give them the future they truly deserved!

EDEH OKPEKWU GABRIEL

Edeh Okpekwu Gabriel is a trained international educator by the prestigious University of Cambridge (CIE). He is a graduate of Computer Science/Statistics from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He has obtained several professional certificates such as Child Protection in Education, Child’s Health and Safety in Education, Areas of cares for young learners, and Protecting the Vulnerable Children all from Educare services, United Kingdom. He is currently the Head of Computing and Data Processing at the James Hope College, Agbor, and the CEO/Founder of Homeclass Nigeria Limited.