Mitigating Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on Tertiary Education in Nigeria:

A Focus on Social Media and Funding in Educational Sector

Abstract

atforms was adopted by tertiary institutions. This study, therefore, aims to examine the expensive nature of social media and government financial assistance in mitigating the effect of COVID-19 pandemic on e-learning in tertiary education. Although the adoption of social media platforms for e-learning has ensured continuity in learning, it appears to make education more expensive in
the post-COVID-19 era. Thus, this study suggests that financial assistance could mitigate the pains of social media platforms on online learning. The methodology is purely qualitative. The article adopted an ethnographic design. The target audience was lecturers and students in 3 tertiary institutions in Southwest, Nigeria. (University of Lagos, Ibadan Polytechnic and Federal College of Education, Oyo). The three tertiary institutions were purposively selected. Primary data were collected through online Key Informant Interview and Federal Group Discussion while secondary data were from journals articles, monographs and relevant books. The study concludes that despite the opportunity of social media platforms, teachers and learners still suffer the pains of the COVID-19
pandemic on teaching due to financial constraints. The study recommends creation of a new policy on free data software for academic purposes.