The Nigeria Union of Teachers on Monday
shunned a meeting called by the House of Representatives Committee on
Education to resolve the impasse over the September 22 date for the
resumption of schools nationwide.
Last week, the union vowed that it
would not allow any of its members to teach until it was scientifically
and medically proved that the country was out of the Ebola Virus
Disease.
The union, through its President,
Michael Alogba, had said, “We have written to tell them that if the
Federal Government does not shift the date(September 22 and provide
all necessary safety measures in schools before Monday next week
(yesterday), all NUT leaders will meet in Abuja by 9am on Tuesday
(today) to decide our fate by ourselves.”
When contacted on the telephone on why the NUT stayed away from the meeting, Alogba said they were not invited.
“We were not informed. We were not
invited. We only learnt of it after the minister left the said meeting.
In fact, we suspected foul play. However, our meeting will hold as
planned tomorrow(today) to discuss and decide which way forward,” Alogba
added.
The House had asked the committee to
look into the matter following protests by Nigerians, particularly
parents, the Nigerian Medical Association and the NUT over the Federal
Government’s decision to change its earlier resumption date from
October 13 to September 22.
The meeting was however attended by the
Minister of Education, Ibrahim Shekarau, the NMA and the All Nigerian
Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools.
During the meeting, the NMA
soft-pedalled on its earlier position date, pupils could return to
their classrooms so long as government at all levels, school authorities
and other stakeholders would provide and apply measures to prevent
further spread of the EVD in the country.
It said after reviewing the “remarkable”
efforts of the Federal, Lagos, Rivers and Enugu state governments to
contain the “recent importation of EVD from Liberia,” there was no
point keeping pupils at home any further than September 22.
The NMA President, Kayode Obembe, called
for “informed and reasonably eternal vigilance over the matter,” rather
than acting based on rumours, lies and ignorance.’’
The NMA enjoined the international and
port health services to be on the “highest level of vigilance and
preparedness to screen all entrants into the country for fever as well
as for countries of entry or recent travels before coming to the
country.”
It called for the resuscitation of
infectious disease hospitals in all the 36 states of the federation and
the Federal Capital Territory to make “them to be able to take care of
any viral haemorrhagic fever and other medical infectious disease
emergencies.”
The NMA added that all border local
government areas in the country must have their health services properly
developed with a “medical officer of health and other health staff
necessary for the level of epidemiological intelligence and surveillance
for the prevention of re-entry of the disease into the country.”
For the schools, the association advised
the owners to “develop and implement proper school health services,”
including a sick bay.
The NMA promised its support to the
government at all times to contain the EVD and further called on “state
governments and/or the teaching hospitals to have a place where the EVD
diagnosis or viral carriage can be made within 24 hours of any suspected
case.”
Explaining how the NMA arrived at its
support for schools to resume on September 22, Obembe told the committee
that the last EVD patient in the country was admitted on August 29
after the symptoms started on August 26.
He observed that the patient was
discharged on September 9, while by September 16 (today), “all her
contacts should have completed the 21-day mandatory quarantine period.”
Obembe added, “Except we have new import
cases from neighbouring countries or we have some of the contacts who
evaded quarantine, then we may not have new cases of EVD.
“It makes scientific sense for schools to resume on September 22 as proposed by the Federal Government.
“All cases so far in the country had epidemiological link directly or indirectly with the index case (late Patrick Sawyer).
“Apart from this linkage in Lagos and Port Harcourt, there is no evidence of EVD transmission in the country.”
Shekarau also defended government’s
position before the committee, denying that it acted under pressure from
private school proprietors.
He explained that Ebola was a health
matter, which required the advice of the Federal Ministry of Health
before government could take any decisions.
The minister also stated that he met
with all state Commissioners for Education and other stakeholders to
deliberate thoroughly before deciding on September 22.
He said, “Not a single private school
owner has put us under pressure. The highest authority on Ebola in the
country is the Federal Ministry of Health.
“If the highest authority says that it is safe to re-open schools, what is the basis of insisting on October 13?
“What if by October 13, the situation has not changed, are we going to say the schools should remain closed?”
The ANCOPSS backed the minister’s
position on the condition that “necessary health measures must be put in
place in all the schools.”
Such measures are improving the
sanitary conditions of the schools, providing water and soap for regular
hand-washing by pupils, ensuring general cleanliness and engaging
personnel knowledgeable in handling Ebola cases.
The Chairman of the committee, Aminu
Suleiman, had told the session that the House waded in the matter after
it received a series of complaints from Nigerians.
He added that the committee would report
its findings to the House to decide on whether schools should resume
on September 22 or on another date.
Suleiman said, “We truly got worried
after the NUT and the NMA also joined the protest. We are persuaded by
what appears to be an objective and professional position now taken by
the NMA.
“It has become clear that the NMA is no
longer against the proposed date of school resumption. We will report
our findings back to the House.”
