By Lewis Asubiojo
SIR: Rising from the Federal Executive Council meeting (FEC) of Wednesday, July 8, Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, announced that the federal government schools would remain closed until it was safe to reopen.
Prior to this, there has been a widely publicised media report that the Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, announced that the 2020 WASSCE, conducted by the West Africa Examinations Council (WAEC), would hold between August 4 and September 5.
Even before Nwajiuba’s announcement, there was another media report that the PTF at one of its briefings announced that schools would be reopened for students in graduating classes of primary six, Junior Senior Secondary School 3 and Senior Secondary School 3 to enable them prepare for their examinations.
But the latest pronouncement by Adamu has automatically put an end to the planned school reopening.
Said the minister: “Our schools will only open when we believe it is safe for our children and that is when the situation is right, not when the incidence of the infection is going up in the country. I just want to make it clear.”
Though the ministry might have initially given its nod to the reopening of schools for a certain category of students, this does not mean such decision cannot be reversed if available facts indicate that coronavirus poses a greater threat to the health and safety of the students and our society if schools are allowed to reopen.
Indeed, the Nigeria Centre for the Disease Control (NCDC) had earlier, warned against the reopening of schools, particularly in this wet season which it said comes along with an increase in flu-like diseases as children run the risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19.
Not too long ago, Minster of Health Dr. Osagie Ehanire, expressed his frustration over the rising cases of the coronavirus in the country, stressing that COVID-19 is actually expanding faster than our health system are able to handle it.
Though serious cases of coronavirus among children are rare, we must be concerned not only for the health of children, but also for the health of other members of society which include teachers, custodians, food service workers, support staff, parents etc.
To this end, I believe contemplating the reopening of schools in whatever shape or form at this point would be an unwise decision when stakeholders in the nation’s education sector have not been able to provide the needed protective equipment to safeguard the health of students and their custodians.
Given the scary realities of COVID-19 in the country today, only an irresponsible government would want to compound existing problems when still grappling with the problems of shortage of equipment and the required funds to cater for the well-being and welfare of current existing COVID19 victims and the health workers managing the situation.
We should not wait until one becomes a coronavirus victim fatality. It may be too late. Kindly, let us adhere strictly to protective measures and protocols as stipulated by the NCDC and we do not have to wait until dead bodies are littering the streets before we begin to comply with safety protocols.
A word, they say, is enough for the wise
- Lewis Asubiojo, Abuja.
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