Covid-19 and the virtual classroom conundrum in Zimbabwean universities

Abstract

Whilst the virtual classroom has become the most tenable alternative to address educational needs under the circumstances of the Covid-19 crisis, most universities in Zimbabwe have been found wanting-lacking responsive information communication technology (ICT) infrastructures and techno-savvy human capital. This exploratory study employed in-depth telephone interviews with five purposively sampled deans, lecturers, and disadvantaged students-one each from each of five universities (three state, and two private). Forty more students for five focus group discussions were selected through stratified random sampling. Our study adopted a qualitative approach to collect, present, and analyse data. The key finding was that Covid-19 has certainly amplified the digital divide and preexisting inequalities in institutions of higher education, particularly in developing nations like Zimbabwe. Further, the study revealed that a techno-based curriculum delivery approach becomes discriminatory and intensifies social exclusion because some students living in poverty struggle to access the e-learning resource materials. In Zimbabwe, the situation has become dire and complicated because of the economic meltdown prevailing in the country. Universities as service institutions are thus encouraged to invest heavily in ICT infrastructure, and the government to subsidise the cost of internet bandwidth and data bundles to enable students to access the e-learning materials.

Implications of the digital divide: A systematic review of its impact in the educational field

“…Likewise, some studies report on the limitations derived from the digital gender gap: originating either from cultural restrictions, while the role of women in certain societies demands priorities that hinder the demands of virtual learning; or because training in certain technology-related skills has not traditionally been associated with women. There is a certain disagreement in some studies, however, about gender differences in terms of the usability gap (Frei-Landau & Avidov-Ungar, 2022; Muchabaiwa & Gondo, 2022).…”

Leadership trends in institutions of Higher Education: A bibliometric review

“…A contextual factor that has significantly influenced leadership studies in education is the Covid-19 pandemic, which has posed unprecedented challenges in the educational field, even though experiences with virtual education were already being developed, a good part of Institutions with a tradition of face- Suárez-Amaya, Wendolin; Ganga-Contreras, Francisco; Alarcón-Henríquez, to-face education were not prepared to assume the changes that were produced abruptly, which forced them to define, in record time, new ways of working, the challenge of the technological gap and inequalities in access to technology (Bebbington, 2021;Watermeyer et al, 2021;Sedereviciute-Paciauskiene, Valantinaite & Kliukas, 2021;Pekkolaa et al, 2021;Baumber et al, 2021;Chisholm-Burns, Brandon & Spivey, 2021;Dumulescu & Mutiu, 2021;Aftab et al, 2022;Muchabaiwa & Gondo, 2022;Yeboah, 2022;Mittal et al, 2022;Roy & Brown, 2022;Chitpin & Karoui, 2022;Shoaib et al, 2022, Du Plessis et al, 2022. In summary, it is evident from a theoretical point of view that leadership in educational organizations requires being approached from a multifactorial perspective, highly permeated by the situational, the contingent, which includes not only the influence of leaders and their relationship with followers, but also, its deterministic nature in quantitative factors such as performance, and qualitative factors such as the organizational environment and well-being.…”