The primordial apparition of the 21st century hasn’t been a better one as it has been rocked back and forth by the deadly pandemic covid-19; which has opened gaps for tensions and fears among everyone. Among the citizenry of Zimbabwe, youths haven’t been spared from enduring numerous traumatic events during covid-19 era. The temporary suspension of the orthodox face to face lecturers is one of the unbearable situations brought to effect by covid-19. A lot more have happened, and since then youths have not yet tested even a glimpse of normalcy in their learning institution.
The inception of the pandemic has brought death and temporary closure of various business sectors on the face of earth, with a lot more than that. As far as the education system is concerned there is being a lot of altercation and transformation that have occurred which is foreshadowing a clawed future for the youths that are partaking studies during the pandemic.
The first blow of this pandemic occurred in the early march of 2020 which saw a temporary stoppage of the learning institutions. This absconding strategy of face to face lectures have ushered a newly online/ distance learning in tertiary institutions which have brought about its own escapades such as youths failure to secure funds of accessing online facilities probably due to uncontrollable financial shortages and spontaneous soaring prices of data bundles.
Some students have echoed widespread condemnations on the rapid transition to online education from the traditional face to face lessons as they cited that they are confronting a lot of problems in accessing the online facilities due to lack of knowledge. Most of the students have also brought to light problems that are entangled with their residents that are making them fail to adapt to the recent inaugurated online learning strategy. This in its own have brewed a calamity for the youth that are residing in urban areas. The question is how are those in rural areas copying?
Some tertiary students have also faced difficulties in meeting up with deadlines of submitting assignments probably due to scarcity of network or lack of adequate finances of purchasing data on time.
Sporadic suspension of face to face learning by tertiary institutions have brought in frustrations among most students as they always now live a calculative life due to lack of proper school calendar’s which have been disrupted by the deadly pandemic. This also disturbs students proper planning be it for examinations, opening of schools. etc.
More to this the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education on 30 December 2020 announced that they are going to deviate from the previously announced 2021 calendar that directed schools to open on 04 January 2021. This deferring of opening of schools is gradually eating away the talent in students as they are continually at home without learning much.
In essence, all these challenges paint a negative picture right on the center of the future of the youths. The current state in educational system definitely is going to leave the youths with no widest possible latitude of choice between any diametrically opposed alternatives. It is more like being caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.