School proprietors and other
stakeholders differ over the Federal Government’s October 13 resumption
date, Folashade Adebayo writes
The Federal Government’s directive
cancelling summer schools and extending school resumption by a month is
drawing mixed concerns from many people.
Little wonder, proprietors have
expressed reservations concerning the directive. Groups, parents and
proprietors, who spoke with our correspondent, have described the
development as vindictive and capable of unleashing grave social vices
on the society.
For instance, they expressed concern
about the implications of the order for candidates attending summer
classes in preparation for the forthcoming November/December West
African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination.
On Tuesday, the Minister of Education,
Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, had instructed public and private schools in
the country to resume on October 13. Prior to the announcement, summer
schools had been on in many centres across the country while resumption
for private and public schools had oscillated around the mid-September.
Before arriving at the decision,
Shekarau had met with the state commissioners for education and cited
the imperative of stopping the Ebola Virus Disease from gaining a
foothold in schools in the country. Hitherto, Shekarau had also mandated
the commissioners to make provision for blood pressure monitors in each
school and to organise sensitisation programmes for stakeholders in
their respective states.
On their part, all schools in the
country were to nominate, at least, two members of staff to be trained
by health workers on how to manage an outbreak.
“All primary and secondary schools, both
public and private, are to remain closed until Monday, October 13,
2014, which is the new school resumption date for all schools. This is
to ensure that adequate preventive measures are in place before the
pupils report back to school. All state ministries of education are to
immediately organise and ensure that at least two members of staff in
each school, both public and private, are trained by appropriate health
workers on how to handle any suspected case of Ebola and embark on
immediate sensitisation of all teaching and non-teaching staff in all
schools on preventive measures,’’ he said.
However, proprietors and pressure groups
have frowned on the directive, declaring that the action was
unjustifiable, especially when the Minister for Health, Prof. Onyebuchi
Chukwu, had said that only one symptomatic contact was in the country.
The Lagos State Chairman, National
Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, Mr. Yomi Otubela, who
spoke to our correspondent, doubted if shutting schools alone were the
magic bullet, which could single-handedly stop the Ebola disease in its
track.
He wondered how pupils preparing to sit the WASSCE in November would cope without attending summer schools.
Otubela said, “The minister did not say
anything about the forthcoming November/December examination and how the
suspension of summer classes would affect them. Asking a part of the
population to stay at home is not a holistic approach to resolving the
health crisis. These children go to churches and mosques. Are we going
to shut churches and mosques too? Parents will not be at home to monitor
them. With whom will these children stay?
“There are many vices in the society
already. A lot of damage has been done and keeping pupils at home would
not help matters. A school is where knowledge is shared. Asking pupils
to stay off schools is like asking them to stay off knowledge.
“What the government needs to do is
ensure that the schools put measures in place to guard against an
outbreak. We have been doing that since Ebola was reported in Nigeria.
When our members started summer classes, we bought temperature scanners,
more wash-hand basins and sanitisers. You cannot enter any school now
without sanitising your hands at the gate. We have printed posters and
sensitised even parents concerning the virus and we have evidence of
these.”
Also, the Chief Executive Officer of
Betweenthelines Communications Limited, Mr. Fola Adekeye, frowned on
singling out primary and secondary schools. He said the directive
discriminated against at the basic education sector while leaving out
tertiary institutions.
Adekeye said, “While Shekarau did not
order the closure of tertiary institutions, he had advised authorities
to shelve international programmes and student exchanges until further
notice.
“All tertiary institutions are advised
to suspend exchange of staff and student programmes, and major
international seminars and workshops until further notice. They are also
to monitor the movement of foreign nationals on their campuses.”
Notwithstanding however, Adekeye posited that the Federal Government had put primary and secondary schools on the spot.
“I have a problem with the directive
closing down summer classes and postponing only primary and secondary
schools’ resumption date from September 15 to October 13. The directive
left out federal and state universities. I do not believe that our
primary and secondary schools will spread Ebola more than the
universities. If those higher institutions were spared because they have
just returned from a dehumanising strike actions, such consideration is
blind to Ebola,’’ he reasoned.
The Principal, Ronik Comprehensive
School, Ejigbo, Lagos, Mrs. Mogbonjubola Ejirinde, agreed that the
outbreak is a source for concern for every Nigerian.
Urging the government to take health issues more seriously, Ejirinde said the development could worsen academic performance.
“Tertiary institutions have resumed
while parents to these pupils also mingle with the public. Are we saying
primary and secondary schools are more open to Ebola virus more than
the larger public and the campuses where the students are with less
control and checks? Postponing the resumption date of schools on the
strength of further outbreak of Ebola is not and should not be a measure
since the implication to academic studies is such that there would be a
downward slide of results because of adequate time for schools to cover
their syllabus,’’ she explained.
But a professor of Public
Administration, Ladipo Adamolekun, toed a different line from other
stakeholders. The academic, who urged them to take the decision in good
faith, said the Federal government must have taken intelligence report
in consideration.
The don said, “The decision makes sense
if it is based on evidence. You can only give the government the benefit
of doubt because we do not have a record of intelligence gathering.
Maybe the government should have shared the basis for the decision.
Unless they share that, we may not know but I will say stakeholders
should defer to the government and let us give them the benefit of the
doubt. If they have strong evidence, it makes sense to extend resumption
date for the schools.”
Also, a former Dean of Education,
Faculty of Education, Lagos State University, Lagos, Prof. Ademola
Onifade, lauded the Federal Government for the decision. Noting that
schools were not the only public places to find children, he stated that
postponing the date of resumption would help health officials track the
movement of the virus in the general population.
He said, “The postponement is perfectly
in order. We have to be sure that we can contain it as a nation. This is
a national emergency and I think that every Nigerian should stand with
the government. Yes, pupils will go to churches, mosques and other
public places but any measure to reduce the incidence is acceptable. We
cannot know all the ways and even prevent all the avenues for Ebola
transmission. But we can reduce the incidence. This is a unique
situation and we have to deal with it as such,’’ he said.
The professor of Physical Education also
advised candidates preparing for the Nov/Dec examination to take the
government directive in good faith.
He added, “The examination is here
forever, Ebola is not here forever. What I understand is that they
attend extra lessons. People can do their reading at home. This is an
emergency and there is no sentiment in the matter.”
But beyond the different commentaries,
the Public Relations Officer, Federal Ministry of Education, Mr. Simeon
Nwaukudu, told our correspondent that the outcome of a September 23
meeting between the minister and the state commissioners for education
would determine if the resumption date for slated for October 13, would
stand.
He also argued that the suspension of
summer classes would not affect candidates sitting for the external
examination in November.
He added, “These are private candidates.
The examination coming up in November is essentially for private
candidates. It does not affect them. The minister will be meeting the
commissioners on September 23, where all the measures we have put in
place will be appraised. We are hoping that with these measures, the
schools will resume on October 13. The states are complying already so
we are hopeful that the schools will reopen soon.”
