Parents count cost of resumption postponement

In spite of the uncertainty surrounding resumption date for primary and secondary schools in the country, parents and guardians are frantically looking for alternatives to keep their children busy.

Ordinarily, preparations for school resumption would have begun this September. That is the month in which many families start arrangement for text books, after-school classes and other details attached to the advent of a new academic term.

But the extension of the holiday by one month has introduced unforeseen circumstances and adjustments into the equation.

To be sure that the Ebola Virus Disease does not find its way into schools, the Federal Government had announced October 13 as a new resumption date for all private and public primary and secondary schools.

Rising from a meeting with all State Commissioners for Education in the country on August 26, the Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, had suspended summer classes as well as extended school resumption by a month.

“All summer classes currently being conducted by private schools should be suspended with immediate effect until 13th of October, 2014. All private primary and secondary schools must comply with the directive given under these preventive measures,’’ he had said.

While private school owners decried the development, parents on the other hand said the directive had created new challenges for them. Some of the parents who spoke with our correspondent said the directive from the Federal Government had not only disrupted the academic calendar but also forced them to explore alternatives to occupy the children during the extended holiday.

The Chief Executive Officer, Carib Health Limited, Lagos, Mrs. Sherese Ijewere, said the forced holiday would afford her opportunity to bond with her children. Ijewere, who is a mother of four children, also advised parents to see the silver lining in the cloud.

“I was taken aback when I heard the news. My children ages are 14, 12, 10 and eight. I felt the postponement was a bit of a disappointment but I must find the good in every situation. It would be an opportunity to bond with them and catch up on academics and social activities.

What I have done is to create a schedule for my children. We talk about the schedules the night before going to bed and we discuss what to tackle the next day. We also take different brakes, it is important that they have free time also. But we do most of the academics in the morning. It is scientifically documented that the brain is sharper in the morning to tackle mathematics,’’ she said.

The publisher TW Magazine, Mrs. Adesuwa Onyenokwe, said she decided to take her children through the curriculum of the next academic session. Onyenokwe said two of her children schooling in Nigeria would be traveling first to Delta State and on arrival back in Lagos, will be home-schooled.

“I have been thinking on how to engage my children during this holiday. Two of my children, aged 12 and 15, attend schools here in Nigeria. I am going to take them through their curriculum when they come back from a short holiday in Delta State. I got the idea from a friend who has decided to also do the same. An idle mind is the devil’s workshop. They have a lot of time on their hands now and we have to find a way to keep them busy,’’ she said.

For a hairdresser at Ijaiye, Lagos, Mrs. Aishat Oseni, it is however, another side of the coin. According to Oseni, customers will have to put up with her two children while the holiday lasts.

“I am not happy that the resumption has been postponed. I am praying that my children would not have forgotten how to spell their names by the time they eventually resume. I thought of engaging the services of a private coach for them but I can not afford it. We cannot also take them for summer coaching but that has also been banned. There is no way around it other than for them to follow me to the shop everyday,’’ she said.

While parents are coming up with different strategies however, parents have been asked to keep a close eye on them. The Executive Director, Media Concern Initiative for Women and Children, Mrs. Olufemi Kayode, advised parents and guardians to reschedule their time in order to effectively monitor the activities of their children. According to her, this is important to protect them from any form of abuse.

“Every child is already at risk of abuse whether he or she is at home or on the street. However, there are certain situations that can increase the risk. Staying at home for too long may be one of them. “I want to urge parents and guardians to take advantage of the disadvantage and reschedule their time to do a proper monitoring of these children. For those who have a 9-5 pm job, you just have to find a way around it,’’ she advised

Tweet