ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 ON THE EDUCATION OF EARLY CHILDHOOD SANDWICH STUDENTS

ABSTRACT

This study was on assessing the impact of the Covid-19 on the Education of Early Childhood sandwich students: A case study of   Holy Child College of Education Takoradi. The following objectives was used for successful finding of the study: Is there any effect of covid19 on early childhood education sandwich student in Holy Child College of Education Takoradi, Is there any preventive measure of covid19 and are there challenges faced by Holy Child College of Education Takoradi during covid19. The study gave an insight on the preventive measure of covid19 and also recommended the school  on increasing the space between desks, staggering arrival and dismissal times, limiting nonessential visitors, and using a separate health office location for children with flu-like symptoms.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1  BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, so do the risks we face. The COVID-19 pandemic has not stopped at national borders. It has affected people regardless of nationality, level of education, income or gender. But the same has not been true for its consequences, which have hit the most vulnerable hardest. Few months ago, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on 30th January 2020 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). In 2019, there was anxiety about the impact of a US-China trade war, the US presidential elections and Brexit on the World Economy. On account of these, the IMF had predicted moderated global growth of 3.4 percent. But COVID-19 – the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, a novel strain of coronavirus from the SARS species – changed the outlook unexpectedly. Education is no exception. Students from privileged backgrounds, supported by their parents and eager and able to learn, could find their way past closed school doors to alternative learning opportunities. Those from disadvantaged backgrounds often remained shut out when their schools shut down. This crisis has exposed the many inadequacies and inequities in our education systems from access to the broadband and computers needed for online education, and the supportive environments needed to focus on learning, up to the misalignment between resources and needs.

The lockdowns in response to COVID-19 have interrupted conventional schooling with nationwide school closures in the country, the majority lasting at least 10 weeks. While the educational community have made concerted efforts to maintain learning continuity during this period, children and students have had to rely more on their own resources to continue learning remotely through the Internet, television or radio. Teachers also had to adapt to new pedagogical concepts and modes of delivery of teaching, for which they may not have been trained. In particular, learners in the most marginalised groups, who don’t have access to digital learning resources or lack the resilience and engagement to learn on their own, are at risk of falling behind.

Worldwide, the Covid-19 has also pushed the early childhood education system to the verge of collapse and mobilized leading early childhood organizations to advocate for Covid-19 financial packages to protect early education programs (NAEYC 2020; Zero to Three 2020). Medical research suggests that, strictly speaking, Covid-19 is not a “children’s disease” because, up to this point, there are few confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the young and, even among children who contract the disease, the fatality rate has been very low (Spaull 2020). Yet when we consider all aspects of young children’s development, the profound implications of this global pandemic are evident. Covid-19 not only suspended normal childhood activities such as attending school, interacting with extended family and friends, playing outdoors, and exploring nature but also disrupted the consequent socio-emotional benefits that accrue from children’s engagement in these experiences.

From a scholar’s perspective, we are now “participants in the biggest unplanned experiment that education has ever seen in our lifetimes” (Thomas and Rogers 2020, unpaged). Whether or not Covid-19 stays true to its categorization as a novel virus, nearly every article or book chapter on the topic has a 2020 publication. Based on this background the researcher wants to investigate the assessing the impact of the Covid-19 on the Education of Early Childhood sandwich students: A case study of   Holy Child College of Education Takoradi.

1.2 Statement of the problem

More specific to early childhood education, this international health crisis has precipitated unprecedented, sweeping, and dramatic changes in the lives of children and their families, preservice and in service teachers of young children, and early childhood teacher educators. Worldwide, the Covid-19 has also pushed the early childhood education system to the verge of collapse and mobilized leading early childhood organizations to advocate for Covid-19 financial packages to protect early education programs (NAEYC 2020; Zero to Three 2020). The study wants to find out impact of covid19 on early child education

1.3 Objective of the study

The objectives of the study are;

1. To ascertain the effect of covid19 on early child early child education in Holy Child College of Education Takoradi
2. To find out the preventive measure of covid19
3. To find out the challenges faced by Holy Child College of Education Takoradi during covid19

1.4Research question

1. Is there any effect of covid19 on early childhood education sandwich student in Holy Child College of Education Takoradi?
2. Is there any preventive measure of covid19?
3. Are there challenges faced by Holy Child College of Education Takoradi during covid19?

1.5 Research hypotheses

The following have been put forward for testing

H0: There is no significant effect of covid19 on early childhood education sandwich student in Holy Child College of Education Takoradi

H1:  There is significant effect of covid19 on early childhood education sandwich student in Holy Child College of Education Takoradi

H0: there is no preventive measure of covid19

H2: there is preventive measure of covid19

H0: there are no challenges faced by Holy Child College of Education Takoradi during covid19

H3: there are challenges faced by Holy Child College of Education Takoradi during covid19

  1.6 Significance of the study

 The study will a clear insight on the assessing the impact of covid19 on the education of early childhood sandwich student. The study will be very significant to students and ministry of education. The study will also give insight on the preventive measure of covid19 in school. The study will also serve as a reference to other researcher that will embark on the related topic

1.7 Scope and limitation of the study

The scope of the study covers Assessing the impact of the Covid-19 on the Education of Early Childhood sandwich students: A case study of   Holy Child College of Education Takoradi.

1.8 Limitation of the study

The researcher encounters some constraints which limit the scope of the study namely:

The research material available to the researcher is insufficient, thereby limiting the study