Advancing Innovative Language Teaching and Learning in Nigeria from the Covid-19 Experience

Abstract

For more than a year, the entire world had to learn how to manage the COVID-19 health pandemic unlike anything we have collectively experienced before. Without a doubt, the Corona virus adversely affected all aspects of human live. Businesses and institutions were temporarily forced to shut down and restriction on movement was imposed by governments all over the world.  Only essential services providers were allowed to operate under strict observation of social-distancing rules to contain and control the spread of the virus. The onset of Covid-19 profoundly defines how we can safely live our lives. People everywhere learnt how to adjust accordingly to these unfamiliar and unusual circumstances. Changes became necessary so that risk can be minimized. As a result, the Nigerian system of education was negatively affected and the less privileged children suffered the brunt of it. Government introduced the e-learning as a remedy but it came with many challenges for the institutions of learning and students alike. Unfortunately, language education which is compulsory in the Nigerian school system was greatly hampered. This adversely affected the language teaching objectives in the country. This paper looks at the various interventions and policies of government as it partners other global entities and organizations, especially the online teaching as it affected language education, the challenges encountered and the prospects. The paper recommends among others adequate provision of fund to the educational system to put ICT resources in place in the institutions of learning and the need to train teachers on how to integrate these ICT resources in their teaching and learning activities. If this is done, teaching and learning would be more effective and the education system would be more prepared to face any global pandemic such as Covid-19 in the future.