GASPRO International Journal of Eminent Scholars

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the face of education in Akwa Ibom State forever. This marked the beginning of how students of private institutions of higher learning started to attend remote lectures from their homes as lockdown was imposed to slow the rate of the spread of Corona virus disease (COVID-19). All the students in Alwa Ibom State were shut out of the school, but not all were shut out of the classroom. With schools shut down across the world, millions of students had to adapt to new types of learning. As a result, the mode of education was changed dramatically with the distinctive rise of remote learning, whereby teaching was undertaken remotely and on digital platforms. It is generally believed that digital learning can increase retention of information and take less time, which means that the changes the coronavirus has caused might be here to stay. The study investigated one of the effects of COVID-19, which was hastily moved to remote learning, on the eight accredited higher institutions in Akwa Ibom, North East. It also determined the presence and non-presence or the inequality of digital devices that facilitate the use of ICT by tertiary education in the state. The outcome of the study was used to predict that there was a divide and that the swift move to remote learning has caused a wider divide, which in turn showed that it is not a bridge builder. The study was significant in determining the presence and adequacy of facilitating conditions for the use of ICT in higher education in Akwa Ibom, North East. Data was collected from the target population of students in all the tertiary institutions in the study area using a multistage sampling technique. Data obtained was analysed using a descriptive statistical tool; results are presented in tables and charts for easy understanding.

 Keywords:  COVID-19, Higher Institution, Digital Divide, Bridge Builder, Lockdown