POST-COVID-19 LOCKDOWN CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING FOR ONLINE LEARNING IMPLEMENTATION IN RIVERS STATE

Abstract

This study investigated the post-COVID-19 lockdown challenges and opportunities for educational management and planning for online learning implementation in Rivers State. The investigation was developed with two objectives, from which the research questions, and hypotheses were drawn. The study's research design was a survey. The area of the study was Rivers State. The study's population was 2,980 stakeholders composed of 287 principals and 1,693 executive board members of the Rivers State Senior Secondary School Board. The sample size of 475 participants comprised 165 principals and 310 school or executive board members, ascertained using the Krejcie and Morgan sampling tables. The participants were selected through a simple ramdom sampling technique. The questionnaire used to collect the required data was titled "Post-COVID-19 Lockdown Challenges and Opportunities for Online Learning Implementation Questionnaire”. The reliability of the instrument was assessed and confirmed, yielding a reliability index of 0.821. Mean and standard deviation helped answer the research questions, and a Z-test, with a significance level of 0.05, tested the hypotheses. Among other findings, the study revealed that the difference in the perception of principals and school board members about the challenges faced by educational managers and planners for online learning implementation in Rivers State was not significant. The study concluded that to fully implement online learning in Rivers State following the COVID-19 lockdown, educational managers and planners must address the impending challenges as soon as possible. The study recommended, among others, that educational managers and planners in Rivers State establish a comprehensive framework for online learning that includes infrastructure development, teacher training, and student support services.