The global education sector has been massively affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

National and international examinations have been cancelled, teachers, especially those in private schools, have been sent on unpaid leave, academic calendars dropped, to mention a few.

Needless to say, learning stopped indefinitely for millions of learners, especially those in poor and developing countries.

Besides, education systems have struggled to move online with little time to plan and even less clarity on when normalcy will resume.

Since the beginning of the year, more than 160 countries have shut their learning institutions, throwing more than 1.6 billion learners out of school, according to statistics from UNESCO.

In Rwanda, for instance, all schools were halted mid-March as a response to mitigate the possible spread of the pandemic.

Like everyone else, however, educators were caught unprepared for the scope and speed of the disruptions caused.

Damien Nkurunziza, Kigali City School principal, says, "Schools have been closed countless times before. But the closures have generally been restricted to specific regions and for a definite period.”

In contrast, he points out, the Covid-19 pandemic "is by far more worrying, given that no vaccine has been found.

"It is because of the uncertainty about how long the pandemic will last that the concept of e-learning has assumed a new urgency and relevance, if only to keep learners active, preserve what has been learnt so far and to provide a sense of academic continuity.”

However, for Levis Karangwa, a student teacher, even though most universities are rolling out online courses, it is clear that thousands of students across the country are still left out.

"Accessibility is still the biggest challenge we have. If all the students could access the available resources that have been put in place, then the situation would not pose a threat.” But, "That is not what is on the ground.”

Learning institutions such as those in South Korea and Finland prioritise ensuring that every learner is facilitated to log in to the lessons so that no one is left behind.

Ideally, e-learning is suitable for the mature learner who is highly motivated and is able to work independently, based on the assumption that they have access to and can afford to bear the cost of the internet, electricity and a corresponding digital gadget, reads part of an article published in the Daily Nation.

Younger learners are erratic and easily distracted and would have to be supervised. However, e-learning is a huge challenge if the internet is not strong enough, devices have to be shared among many learners, and some homes are crowded and noisy.

E-learning is also much easier in social sciences, business and humanities and a lot difficult in the sciences.

In the basic education sector, millions of learners in public primary and secondary schools are accessing radio and TV lessons by Rwanda Education Board.

On the other hand, Minani Olivier, an IT expert, is of the view that while it is challenging to ensure that every learner can benefit from the current e-learning system, "Covid-19 has made the point that e-learning is inevitable”.

"Teachers have to be trained to embrace a new learning environment in which they can offer high quality curriculum-appropriate digital learning content,” he highlights. "If teachers are not equipped with digital skills, their learners will obviously be worse off.”

The good news, says Maurice Twahirwa, is that what the technology schools are struggling to deploy at the moment is secondary to what will matter most in the months ahead.

"The compassion, empathy, kindness, and commitment that the nation’s educators have already shown is the best reason for optimism that our education system can weather what’s to come.”

Additionally, "Teachers have spent years cultivating the most important tools they need to address this crisis,” Twahirwa says, "The biggest challenge now is taking those qualities and translating them at a distance.”