The education sector has arguably been the most affected since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country, which resulted in the closure of schools in the last three months.
However, since the ease of the lock down last month, there have been speculations that schools may re-open soon, a development received with mixed feelings by stakeholders in the sector.
Although the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, through its President, Chief Yomi Otubela, had recently called for the re-opening of schools in phases in the country, and also appealed to the Federal Government for palliatives to enable them to cope with the current situation, some stakeholders, especially parents, feel the time is not right.
Speaking with our correspondent, a parent, Mrs. Dolapo Akinyemi, said the virus is here to stay like others such as malaria, polio and HIV/AIDS, but the question remained when the government would provide a viable vaccine to enable all aspects of life return to normal.
She said, “If not, please, consider resumption a closed case. The lives of the next generation are at stake and it’s our duty to ensure that they make it. Adults can obey laid down rules, not children.
“Even some colleges abroad are considering November resumption date. We have to be realistic where younger children are concerned. Nose masks, social distancing, morning and afternoon session, will simply not work! Let us embrace the virtual school, which is our reality for now, until such a time that we can have a vaccine or a tablet that can prevent COVID-19.”
Akinyemi noted that until the atmosphere got clearer and safer for the children with the government providing the necessary facilities in the schools and putting in place other preventive measures, children should not be allowed to go back to school.
Similarly, a parent, Mrs. Lanre Ogunyemi, said, “We are in the rainy season already and the symptoms of cold can be mistaken for the virus. So, in my opinion, schools should be opened in September and my reasons are: some schools simply may not be equipped to keep children safe. You can’t keep children meters apart, unless you tie them down to their seats and school buses operate at half capacity. But this may lead to increment in fees.
“Students would have their temperatures read before entering the bus and school building, but how many school drivers or minders can do that unless they are trained? What about those in the boarding school, how do you keep them safe? Don’t forget it is rainy season and symptoms of cold can be mistaken for the virus and parents are terrified that a return to school would expose their children to the virus. We need evidence that it is safe for our children to go back.”
A teacher, Akintunde Ojo, said it was obvious it was not yet the right time for children to go back to school.
“I am very broke now, owing to lack of salary for two months as a result of school closure. But that does not justify the fact that school should open now that the spread is increasing. No matter the measures, we can’t manage the young children at all. School resumption should wait till we are 80 per cent sure we can manage it,” she said.
Another parent, Prince Sope Ojomu, said the proprietors clamouring for immediate resumption of schools were only interested in making money and not interested in the welfare of the students.
“There shouldn’t be any rush about that. September is better. By then, everyone would be adequately prepared. Don’t forget, all schools in Nigeria will resume together; those in other states, are they prepared? They haven’t even managed the present situation not to talk of schools reopening,” he said.
A proprietor, Mr. Fashina Taiwo, said schools could resume only when there was assurance that the lives of children were safe and that there was freedom for them to truly play as children and not to be treated like “animals,” deprived of freedom and normal life.
“Same goes for the academic and non-academic staff, too. They must be able to provide services in a very conducive environment without jeopardising their own health and that of their families. We cannot afford to toy with the lives of our children and school staff,” he said.
For Akinsola Oyebo, the situation is a very sensitive one that requires high level of sensitivity.
Oyebo said, “I don’t think we should be too much in a hurry to have the schools opened, especially the primary and the secondary schools. I want us to know that these children are still very innocent and naive, unaware of happenings around them. This is evident from the way they mix up and play with each other without restrictions.
“Good, we will provide them nose masks but be sure that it’s either the nose masks get stolen or lost. These are children who know next to nothing and let me tell you, should a pupil or student contract it, potentially the whole family will definitely be affected and even the neighbours will not be spared.
“Please let’s take things easy. We cannot compare university students with primary and secondary school students. The former are all grown-ups while the latter are still very naive and unaware of happenings.”
A parent, Mrs. Ezinne Njoku, was of the opinion that people should realise that they had to be alive and healthy first before talking about schooling and making money.
“More so, these are trying times for everyone, but let us not be hasty in opening up schools. Many parents I know will not send their children back to school without being sure of their safety. IGCSE and WAEC cancelled exams; so why are we killing ourselves? Let’s be patient,” she said.
A teacher, Tunde Adekola, said, “If it (COVID-19) does not flatten by June, hopefully August or September. Safety of children is very important.”
An education consultant, Gloria Abia, said resumption or no resumption, other means exist for children to access learning, adding, “So, a child resuming during this period may cause havoc if care is not taken. So, let’s adhere to further instructions that will come.
“You can’t stop the children from playing or hugging each other. That action comes involuntarily and how careful can one even be? I suggest that Government may allow JSS3 and SS3 to write their exams because they can maintain their space, I believe, while we look at September for total resumption. Whether the virus is still in Nigeria or not, our children shouldn’t be the laboratory rat.”
A proprietor, Mr. Samson Oyemachi, said he was growing rustic by the day “and my livelihood has been suspended since end of term examinations in March. In the higher institutions, we defer our academic pursuits, only to pick them up later and still graduate, long afterwards. May we not witness mass death of minors and adolescents in our schools, owing to Coronavirus pandemic. Please, let us be patient.”
For Ajayi Kaka, “All we hear is large sums of money being pumped into COVID-19 but no manifestations. I was at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, recently, in the emergency department, and what I saw wasn’t encouraging and it can’t stand the test of COVID-19 outbreak.”
Mr. Elohor Adebayo has a different opinion on the situation.
For him, September remained the best resumption date for schools to enable parents who had not been earning salaries since the outbreak of the virus to recoup their losses and to meet up with paying school fees.
Another parent, Abimbola Ajaguna, said it was imperative to understand how children relate in school.
“The first thing they will do is to admire and test out the various face masks of their friends while the small ones will remove theirs totally to play. Also, remember that wearing of face masks for a long period is detrimental to health. We should not rush, please. For me, it’s better my child loses a whole session than his or her life,” she said.
For Sunfunmi Olubadejo, schools should not be reopened until new cases of infection of the virus have dropped drastically.
Olubadejo said, “I wonder what our problem is; the standard of education in Nigeria is even ‘a baby’ compared to other countries, which still have their schools shut down. More so, some of these countries take full responsibilities for their citizens not like ours. Yet, they are not talking about schools reopening.
“For me, even if schools resume, my children are exempted till next year. Some of these politicians have their children abroad, not in our jam-packed schools here. Let’s leave resumption till we are sure of what is happening.”
Stephen Olasanmi said he remembered vividly that during Prof. Babalola Aborisade’s period as Minister of Education, “university students were at home for six months, following ASUU strike and heavens didn’t fall then, and all the students still graduated and are presently doing well.”
He said, “If you hurriedly pluck tiny mushrooms, 1,000 pieces are not enough to prepare vegetable soup. I could see that some people are coercing government into prematurely opening schools. We should all remember that some of the government decision makers do not have their children in our dilapidated schools, but should the less privileged children be used as guinea pigs?
“The school should open when we are absolutely sure that we can hold government responsible without shifting blames.”
The education sector has arguably been the most affected since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country, which resulted in the closure of schools in the last three months.
However, since the ease of the lock down last month, there have been speculations that schools may re-open soon, a development received with mixed feelings by stakeholders in the sector.
Although the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, through its President, Chief Yomi Otubela, had recently called for the re-opening of schools in phases in the country, and also appealed to the Federal Government for palliatives to enable them to cope with the current situation, some stakeholders, especially parents, feel the time is not right.
Speaking with our correspondent, a parent, Mrs. Dolapo Akinyemi, said the virus is here to stay like others such as malaria, polio and HIV/AIDS, but the question remained when the government would provide a viable vaccine to enable all aspects of life return to normal.
She said, “If not, please, consider resumption a closed case. The lives of the next generation are at stake and it’s our duty to ensure that they make it. Adults can obey laid down rules, not children.
“Even some colleges abroad are considering November resumption date. We have to be realistic where younger children are concerned. Nose masks, social distancing, morning and afternoon session, will simply not work! Let us embrace the virtual school, which is our reality for now, until such a time that we can have a vaccine or a tablet that can prevent COVID-19.”
Akinyemi noted that until the atmosphere got clearer and safer for the children with the government providing the necessary facilities in the schools and putting in place other preventive measures, children should not be allowed to go back to school.
Similarly, a parent, Mrs. Lanre Ogunyemi, said, “We are in the rainy season already and the symptoms of cold can be mistaken for the virus. So, in my opinion, schools should be opened in September and my reasons are: some schools simply may not be equipped to keep children safe. You can’t keep children meters apart, unless you tie them down to their seats and school buses operate at half capacity. But this may lead to increment in fees.
“Students would have their temperatures read before entering the bus and school building, but how many school drivers or minders can do that unless they are trained? What about those in the boarding school, how do you keep them safe? Don’t forget it is rainy season and symptoms of cold can be mistaken for the virus and parents are terrified that a return to school would expose their children to the virus. We need evidence that it is safe for our children to go back.”
A teacher, Akintunde Ojo, said it was obvious it was not yet the right time for children to go back to school.
“I am very broke now, owing to lack of salary for two months as a result of school closure. But that does not justify the fact that school should open now that the spread is increasing. No matter the measures, we can’t manage the young children at all. School resumption should wait till we are 80 per cent sure we can manage it,” she said.
Another parent, Prince Sope Ojomu, said the proprietors clamouring for immediate resumption of schools were only interested in making money and not interested in the welfare of the students.
“There shouldn’t be any rush about that. September is better. By then, everyone would be adequately prepared. Don’t forget, all schools in Nigeria will resume together; those in other states, are they prepared? They haven’t even managed the present situation not to talk of schools reopening,” he said.
A proprietor, Mr. Fashina Taiwo, said schools could resume only when there was assurance that the lives of children were safe and that there was freedom for them to truly play as children and not to be treated like “animals,” deprived of freedom and normal life.
“Same goes for the academic and non-academic staff, too. They must be able to provide services in a very conducive environment without jeopardising their own health and that of their families. We cannot afford to toy with the lives of our children and school staff,” he said.
For Akinsola Oyebo, the situation is a very sensitive one that requires high level of sensitivity.
Oyebo said, “I don’t think we should be too much in a hurry to have the schools opened, especially the primary and the secondary schools. I want us to know that these children are still very innocent and naive, unaware of happenings around them. This is evident from the way they mix up and play with each other without restrictions.
“Good, we will provide them nose masks but be sure that it’s either the nose masks get stolen or lost. These are children who know next to nothing and let me tell you, should a pupil or student contract it, potentially the whole family will definitely be affected and even the neighbours will not be spared.
“Please let’s take things easy. We cannot compare university students with primary and secondary school students. The former are all grown-ups while the latter are still very naive and unaware of happenings.”
A parent, Mrs. Ezinne Njoku, was of the opinion that people should realise that they had to be alive and healthy first before talking about schooling and making money.
“More so, these are trying times for everyone, but let us not be hasty in opening up schools. Many parents I know will not send their children back to school without being sure of their safety. IGCSE and WAEC cancelled exams; so why are we killing ourselves? Let’s be patient,” she said.
A teacher, Tunde Adekola, said, “If it (COVID-19) does not flatten by June, hopefully August or September. Safety of children is very important.”
An education consultant, Gloria Abia, said resumption or no resumption, other means exist for children to access learning, adding, “So, a child resuming during this period may cause havoc if care is not taken. So, let’s adhere to further instructions that will come.
“You can’t stop the children from playing or hugging each other. That action comes involuntarily and how careful can one even be? I suggest that Government may allow JSS3 and SS3 to write their exams because they can maintain their space, I believe, while we look at September for total resumption. Whether the virus is still in Nigeria or not, our children shouldn’t be the laboratory rat.”
A proprietor, Mr. Samson Oyemachi, said he was growing rustic by the day “and my livelihood has been suspended since end of term examinations in March. In the higher institutions, we defer our academic pursuits, only to pick them up later and still graduate, long afterwards. May we not witness mass death of minors and adolescents in our schools, owing to Coronavirus pandemic. Please, let us be patient.”
For Ajayi Kaka, “All we hear is large sums of money being pumped into COVID-19 but no manifestations. I was at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, recently, in the emergency department, and what I saw wasn’t encouraging and it can’t stand the test of COVID-19 outbreak.”
Mr. Elohor Adebayo has a different opinion on the situation.
For him, September remained the best resumption date for schools to enable parents who had not been earning salaries since the outbreak of the virus to recoup their losses and to meet up with paying school fees.
Another parent, Abimbola Ajaguna, said it was imperative to understand how children relate in school.
“The first thing they will do is to admire and test out the various face masks of their friends while the small ones will remove theirs totally to play. Also, remember that wearing of face masks for a long period is detrimental to health. We should not rush, please. For me, it’s better my child loses a whole session than his or her life,” she said.
For Sunfunmi Olubadejo, schools should not be reopened until new cases of infection of the virus have dropped drastically.
Olubadejo said, “I wonder what our problem is; the standard of education in Nigeria is even ‘a baby’ compared to other countries, which still have their schools shut down. More so, some of these countries take full responsibilities for their citizens not like ours. Yet, they are not talking about schools reopening.
“For me, even if schools resume, my children are exempted till next year. Some of these politicians have their children abroad, not in our jam-packed schools here. Let’s leave resumption till we are sure of what is happening.”
Stephen Olasanmi said he remembered vividly that during Prof. Babalola Aborisade’s period as Minister of Education, “university students were at home for six months, following ASUU strike and heavens didn’t fall then, and all the students still graduated and are presently doing well.”
He said, “If you hurriedly pluck tiny mushrooms, 1,000 pieces are not enough to prepare vegetable soup. I could see that some people are coercing government into prematurely opening schools. We should all remember that some of the government decision makers do not have their children in our dilapidated schools, but should the less privileged children be used as guinea pigs?
“The school should open when we are absolutely sure that we can hold government responsible without shifting blames.”
