On continuing school closure and future of education

By Bilyaminu Gambo Kong-kol

SIR: The Federal Ministry of Education had in March ordered the immediate closure of tertiary institutions, secondary and primary schools nationwide following the outbreak of Coronavirus in the country. The Permanent Secretary, Sonny Echono who gave the order on behalf of the minister, Adamu Adamu, also noted that all 104 Unity Schools in the country should close on or before the March 26, as a proactive step aimed at preventing the spread of the dreaded Coronavirus. The closure was initially intended to last for just a month but the increasing number of Coronavirus cases forced the federal government to declare it indefinite.

Three months down the line, the federal government, in June, submitted proposed guidelines for the reopening of schools to the National Assembly. It later announced the reopening of schools for only students in Primary 6, JSS3, and SS3 to enable them to prepare for their national examination. It added that the West African Senior School Certificate Examinations would take place between August and September.

However, days after, the federal government reversed its earlier announcement on the resumption of schools. The education minister, Adamu Adamu, said schools will not reopen any time soon “until it is safe to do so because of the COVID-19 pandemic”. He also said that final year students preparing for the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) will not be allowed to return to school contrary to the earlier announcement. He said he would prefer that “Nigerian students lose an academic year than to expose them to dangers.”

I totally disagree with the stand of the minister. For how long are we going to wait? Schools were closed when the Coronavirus cases were fewer than 50, we now have over 32,000 cases and still counting. If we are going to wait for the end of this pandemic before reopening our schools, then we would definitely not reopen them in the near future. The World Health Organization has warned that COVID19 might last longer than expected; therefore, people must learn how to live with the virus. This is why Germany, Norway and other countries have since reopened their schools. What then Nigeria is waiting for?

To me, the continued schools’ closure does more harm than good to our education, students, society and economy. Our pupils and students in the country are not only delayed, but are at the risk of losing what they learned in the past, thereby pulling our dangling education sector further downward. An idle mind is said to be the devil’s workshop; the closure exposed thousands of students to restiveness, stealing, smoking, and other anti-social acts. As the schools continue to remain closed, the challenges continue to increase and students may likely lose appetite for schooling.

If the ban on political campaigns, party meetings, primary elections as well as governorship elections  would be lifted, if the ban on our markets, parks, interstate travels, places of worship, airports, stadia and other social activities would be suspended, then why leave our schools closed? Does that mean we don’t value education?

• Bilyaminu Gambo Kong-kol,

Bayero University, Kano.