Anxiety greets FG’s postponement of resumption over Ebola

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.

Particularly for private schools, who flaunt an air of superiority over their public school counterparts with their uninterrupted academic calendar and Montessori education, this is not the best of times.

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.”

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