Title: COVID-19 pandemic: how can the lessons learnt contribute to the digital transformation of schools of tomorrow?

Authors: Emmanuel Awuni Kolog; Sulemana Bankuoru Egala; Raphael Amponsah; Samuel Nii Odoi Devine; Erkki Sutinen

Addresses: Department of Operations and Management Information Systems, University of Ghana Business School, Legon, Accra, Ghana ' Department of Operations and Management Information Systems, University of Ghana Business School, Legon, Accra, Ghana ' Department of Information Systems, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, Accra, Ghana ' Department of Information and Communication Technology, Presbyterian University College, Abetifi-Kwahu, Ghana ' Department of Future Technologies, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

Abstract: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have had less effect on the lives of people in the Global south, but its negative impact on society is massive, especially in the area of education. To help manage the pandemic, social gatherings and other related activities, such as schools, were halted. While a few schools in the Global south have managed to continue their academic activities, the majority have struggled to migrate their teaching and learning online. This situation highlights the fact that the perceived diffusion of educational technologies was scarcely used for the intended purpose as many students and staff have struggled to cope. This study critically reviews Literature on COVID-19 pandemic from diverse information sources. These sources include research articles and other sources such as the World Health Organisation and public media platforms. The analysis of the disruption that the pandemic has caused identifies and manifests the latent use of digital technologies in the educational arena. Guidelines for rethinking the schools of tomorrow are proposed. Policymakers and educational practitioners could make use of the proposed guidelines for transformative digital initiatives of the schools of tomorrow in the Global south.

Keywords: COVID-19; pandemic; digital transformation; school; global south; information technology; virtual learning; Ghana; education; teaching; learning.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTEL.2022.121814

International Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning, 2022 Vol.14 No.2, pp.142 - 162

Received: 24 Aug 2020
Accepted: 12 Dec 2020

Published online: 07 Apr 2022 *

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