Increased Drop-Out Rates and Academic Slump as Consequences of COVID-19 Pandemic among Students in Tertiary Institutions in Rivers State

Evidently, COVID-19 pandemic dealt a great blow on educational systems in Rivers State. Suffice it to say, school closures appeared effective in decreasing the cases and deaths via the outbreak of the pandemic, but had its dire consequences as the attempt to reduce the spread of the pandemic led to the suspension of face-to-face activities and students began taking classes on-line from their homes which prompted varying levels of ineffectiveness in teaching and learning activities. Consequently, this study investigated if increased drop-out rates and academic slump were consequences of COVID-19 pandemic among students in tertiary institutions in Rivers State. To achieve this, two research hypotheses were generated and tested. The cross-sectional survey design, multi-stage sampling technique and self-developed four-point Likert type questionnaire were used. The population consisted of all the students in tertiary institutions in Rivers State, with a sample size of 600 participants. The reliability of the instrument was established through test-retest method, with an index of 0.87. The findings revealed that increased drop-out rates and academic slump were significantly expressed as consequences of COVID-19 pandemic among students in tertiary institutions in Rivers State. Recommendations were therefore made that management of tertiary institutions in Rivers State should promote an atmosphere that will provide for cordial staff and students interaction as the gap created due to the pandemic and school closure has led to lack of student-lecturer interaction and make students to feel less passionate about the integrity of their work and has consequently, led to increased students’ drop-out rates and academic slump. Lecturers should also create conducive learning environments and use various teaching techniques such as: discussion classes, presentation of projects, and collective work with audio-visual materials, amongst others as methods to stimulate the learning interest of students