Hello everyone! The following is a feature article which I had written as an assignment for one of my core units. I hve made some structural changes, as well as modified it a bit by adding my own views at a couple of places.
For many University of the South Pacific students, life was going smoothly until the arrival of the coronavirus (COVID 19) Pandemic.
While the Pacific region was largely spared the chaos and death the virus caused in the developed world, the economic impact was just as resounding.
It was made worse by Tropical Cyclone Harold, a Category 5 storm which struck the Solomon Islands on the 2nd of April 2020, causing severe flooding’ damaging houses and infrustructure as well as cusing four deaths.
Tropical cyclone then affected other Pacific Island states including; Vanuatu, Fiji and Tonga.
Clink on the link to read more on how Tropical Cyclone Harold and COVID 19 was a double blow to the Pacific Islands https://reliefweb.int/report/fiji/tropical-cyclone-harold-and-covid-19-double-blow-pacific-islands.
According to experts, the double impact of \natural disaster and global pandemic are likely to have a wide-ranging impact on students at USP.
Economic & Mental Health Impacts
Discipline leader psychology at USP’s psychology department, Annie Crookes, said the full extent of the damage caused by the pandemic was still unclear.
The continuing uncertainty could have an impact on the mental well-being of USP students.
“Not only is there change, disruption and new things to cope with in a short span of time but future employment opportunities, health and wealth of countries are no longer predictable”, Ms Crookes said.
She adds, “Decisions will need to be made about their continuation of studies alongside other priorities.
Online Learning
The University has implemented an online learning system for the remainder of the academic year.
Online learning can be fun as you do not have to be physically present in class and give attendance.
However, there are some teething issues students are facing which is usually the case with any new system.
Fouzmin Nisha, a Bachelor of Arts & Education student at USP, says online learning has been difficult especially as a person with vision impairment.
“I heavily rely on screen reading software to help me access online content and because information on websites are not too accessible with our technology, we have to depend on other people for help”, Fouzmin Nisha said.
“The University’s Disability Resource Centre has allocated buddies who meet me couple of times a week to help in retrieving information online, they also help me with online quiz and pretty much anything internet related”, she said.
Furthermore, students’ ability to pressure online learning depends on how well they can focus outside the school environment or when they are left unsupervised.
As a university student, we are expected to be self-learners or sometimes referred to as independent learners which I believe is not an easy task for everyone.
So, here’s what Ms Crookes suggests, “Building a routine, creating a study plan and sticking to it or trying to stick to it for a week or two, “to see if it becomes a habit.”
I personally think this idea is good because it allows you to have more free time, which means you have time for other stuffs like reading a story book, playing video games or spending time with friends and families. In short, it enhances time management skills.
First Year Students
The challenge may be steeper for first year students still getting used to the university system.
I think students who have recently joined from high school are going to be particularly affected due to the fact that just as they seemed to have been settling into their chosen mode of study, a pandemic forced everything online.
The excitement of studying on campus and making new friends just got ruined.
While there’s not much we can do, I reemphasize Ms Crookes’s idea of time management which can be beneficial not only in studies but in the near future.
IN THE WHITE 