How the 2020’s pandemic has impacted the educational sector in Madagascar and throughout the world

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 academic calendars have been interrupted in Madagascar and almost everywhere in the world, leading schools to shut their doors. According to UNESCO 60% of the world’s students have been affected by this pandemic, nearly all countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

In response to this impact of the COVID-19-related school closures worldwide, all countries had to resort to new learning strategies – distance learning – to better maintain the continuation of education.

However such a new type of learning lies uncertain for some African countries with a delayed or emerging technological system including Madagascar, which has been affected by the pandemic in mid-March. As a matter of fact, access to technology particularly in Africa is yet low as reported by Salman Asim and his peers. They said only 5 percent of the region of Burundi, the Central African Republic (CAR) and Eritrea have access to internet; 36 percent in CAR and 35 percent in Mozambique with mobile access; and less than 10 percent of television access in Burundi, CAR, Chad and Madagascar.

Here are some of the common learning strategies used by the Malagasy government despite this low rate of technological access: Teaching through national broadcasting television, special learning programs meant for students who were about to pass the official national examination, distribution of books and other self-taught learning tools so that to maintain students’ skills and a daily or weekly provided homework sent by teachers via mail especially for university students with internet access. Therefore, despite the reopening of nearly 40% of schools at the present time here in Madagascar, this new type of learning had impacted a significant number of local and global learners. The main reason is that distance learning still presents both its advantages and drawbacks. From this point, understanding them well so as to apply them into the Malagasy educational context is really important. Still regarded as a developing country, Madagascar is not yet able to provide any online-based learning material unlike some developed countries with highly effective teaching tools thanks to the rise of digital era.

Talking about distance education over the past few years mostly implies the use of ICT such as online learning, video web conferencing, virtual classes, and chat groups – which cannot yet be afforded by a large number of Malagasy learners. As a result, this kind of learning failed to meet its requirements and makes the Malagasy education system at stake. Malagasy learners still struggle to participate in digital learning whilst others believe in the benefit of implementing it into school education.

Source: UNESCO’s COVID-19 Education Response