INVESTIGATION INTO COVID-19 AND VIRTUAL LEARNING ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

INVESTIGATION INTO COVID-19 AND VIRTUAL LEARNING ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The COVID-19 epidemic has caused the greatest disruption to education systems in human history, affecting practically every student worldwide, particularly those in secondary schools. More than 94% of the world's student population has been touched by school, institution, and other learning facility closures. According to Davies & Graff (2015), this has resulted in significant changes in many facets of our life. Traditional educational techniques have been considerably disrupted by social alienation and restricting mobility regulations. Reopening schools when restrictions have been lifted is another difficulty, with numerous new standard operating procedures in place. During the COVID-19 epidemic, many scholars like Adeyemi & Olaleye (2018) contributed their findings on teaching and learning in various ways. Several schools, colleges, and universities have abandoned face-to-face instruction due to concerns of losing the 2020 academic year or perhaps more in the future. The necessity of the hour is for alternative educational systems and evaluation methodologies to be innovated and implemented. The COVID-19 epidemic has given us the chance to pave the path for the introduction of digital learning in order to bridge the learning gap, resulting in the creation of virtual learning.

Virtual learning occurs outside of the classroom, using digital-based technology and ensuring the learner's autonomy.

Invariably, the student does not make direct eye contact with the teacher or classmates.

Coronavirus (CoV) is a huge virus family that causes symptoms ranging from a common cold to a severe respiratory tract infection. The infection's severity may manifest as pneumonia, acute respiratory syndrome, or even death. This category of viruses was mostly ignored until the SARS pandemic. However, following the SARS and MERS outbreaks, these viruses have been investigated in more depth, accelerating vaccine development. The World Health Organization (WHO) received reports in December 2019 of clusters of pneumonia patients with unknown origins in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. Following that, Chinese officials discovered an unique strain of Coronavirus (SARS-COV 2) as the causal culprit. Following the advice of the International Health Regulation Emergency Committee, the WHO Director-General designated the COVID19 outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on 30 January 2020 and a pandemic on 11 March 2020. The epidemic has been recorded on all continents, with Egypt reporting the first case in February 2020. Over 2.6 million verified cases and over 186,000 fatalities have been reported worldwide. Nigeria is one of 210 nations affected worldwide.

On February 27, 2020, the first case of Corona Virus in Nigeria was reported in Lagos State. This index case included a 44-year-old Italian citizen who returned from Milan on February 24 and appeared to a health institution on February 26. (punchnewsonline.org) Following confirmation of the index case, 216 individuals were identified as contacts to be followed up on. 45 of these contacts left Nigeria, and one of the remaining 176 was confirmed to be positive for COVID-19 on March 9, 2020. The number of cases in the country has continued to rise, and they have spread throughout various states. While the vast majority of the first cases were imported, the vast majority of the new cases had no travel history or interaction with such persons.

After seeing the first case, Makinde,  Makinde,  & Shorunke (2017) observed that Nigeria's authorities felt compelled to respond quickly to the problem. The Federal and State governments' closure of schools, colleges, and institutions was an essential requirement given the existing circumstances that prevailed in most Nigerian states. The Nigerian government began adopting COVID-19 prevention measures shortly after WHO designated it a pandemic illness. However, the closure of most schools and institutions in Lagos, Kano FCT, and other states had a significant impact on the academic curriculum and disrupted the academic year. Most institutions had to prioritise arranging final examinations before the lockdown began on March 8, 2020. To prevent the spread of the virus, affected schools and institutions had to cancel or reschedule test dates and other educational events.

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