The Federal Government’s postponement of primary and secondary schools’ resumption from September 14 to October 13 over the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), caught many private schools offguard. What is the cost of this action on their operations? ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA, MEDINAT KANABE, OLUWATOSIN OLAWALE, SEUN AKINOLA and IBRAHIM ADAM report.
FOR many private schools, the Federal Government’s extension of resumption for the 2014/2015 session till October 13 came as a shock. They were getting set to resume on September 14 when the government extended the resumption by one month because of the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). What does this mean for them? Teachers, especially, are affraid that they may not be paid for this month because of the change of resumption date.
Extending the resumption of primary and secondary schools last Tuesday, the Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, said the measure was to mobilise the education sector against Ebola outbreak in schools. According to him, all academic activities with an international bias in tertiary institutions were also suspended forthwith. He said every primary and secondary school would be given blood pressure monitors, adding that the schools are expected to nominate at least two members of their staff for training on EVD.
“All the above measures shall also apply in all Federal Government Colleges. All summer classes currently being conducted by some private schools should be suspended with immediate effect until October 13, 2014. All private primary and secondary schools must comply with the directive given under these preventive measures. All tertiary institutions are advised to suspend exchange of staff and students programmes, visits and major international seminars and workshops until further notice,’’ Shekarau said.
The pronouncement shocked the National Association of Private Schools Proprietors (NAPPS) which feels the government is not fair to them. Private schools collect fees for the new session in September. Some offer discounts to parents, who could pay their children fees in lump sum during summer classes. With the money, proprietors are able to settle their bills and workers’ salaries.
With the shift in resumption date, this is no longer possible. But public schools seem not to have anything to fear.
A teacher at Baptist Academy in Obanikoro, Lagos, who pleaded anonymity, said private schools would bear the brunt of government’s action. He said: “No, we are only here to collect our salaries. We had summer coaching before, but immediately the government announced that all schools should stop the coaching we stopped too.” It (resumption) will not affect my salary, but it will affect private schools. I have taught in a private school before so I know they will pay teachers’ salary last month. Some may not even pay this September, mark my word.”
Another teacher, who also asked not to be mentioned, said: “It is actually going to have effect on us, but it is better for us to be cautious than for the school to experience EVD. I do not pray for it because we are hearing that it does not have a cure presently. But if the system is properly sensitised and proper awareness is carried out, we will know what to do and not what to do.”
School administrators/teachers react
A private school teacher in Ojo, Lagos State said: “I am hungry here. The government’s decision came to us as a shock. Now, I am desperately looking for anything to do before resumption. Should you have anything for me, kindly get in touch with me. You know I can’t just sit down at home doing nothing when I have a family to feed,” he said.
On economic implication of the postponement, an Assistant Director of a private school, Dawah Nursery and Primary School in Jakande Estate, Isolo, Lagos, Mrs Lola Afolabi, said it has affected her school. “Some pupils started the summer lesson with us, but after the Ebola outbreak, their parents withdrew them,” Mrs Afolabi said.
She added: “We usually have about 200 pupils before (for the summer lesson) and they included other pupils from the community who have come to spend their holidays with relatives around here. Pupils were scared of the disease and when we called their parents, some told us that they would not be bringing their children until the problem was solved.”
She described the extension, saying: “Keeping pupils out of school until the disease is totally curbed will affect school calendar and don’t forget that there is going to be an election next year. What we should do is put necessary things in place. Postponing resumption is not the best,” she said.
But a teacher in the same school, Mrs Abdulrazaq Nafisatu, said the postponement was good, saying teaching tasks both physical and intellectual energies of teachers.
“It is a way for us to rest because there is no time for rest during the holidays. It was from vacation to summer school. On health grounds, we also need time to check ourselves and rest well. Right now, I have the time to search for other things to do. I am also a blogger so I blog and spend time with my family,” she said.
A crèche owner, Mrs Rita Biose, corroborated her. “As a matter of fact, there was a child whose mother brought and registered with us, she came and said her husband mandated her to withdraw the child immediately because of the Ebola outbreak. Some parents took away their children, but others advised us on what to do,” she sid.
On what the school does to stay atop EVD, she added: “We don’t accept sick children no matter the nature of the sickness. We also provided hand sanitisers for parents coming to pick their children to sanitise their hands before carrying the children. We also don’t allow parents into the crèche. We will do whatever the government say because it is for our good.”
At Summerain College, Jakande Estate, Isolo, Lagos, its Vice-Principal, Mr Shittu Saheed, said summer lessons continue because they have the cooperation of the parents. “We have a good turn-out of pupils and parents have not said anything or suggested anything that would make us believe they are scared of the disease. We also have pupils from other schools and places who have enrolled for the summer lesson and no complaints from their parents. We expect the government to do something about the EVD before we resume and go back to classes, but if the government insists that we remain shut, we will stay shut because we are under the government,” he said.
Parents’ voices
Parents’ opinions are divided on the postponement. Mrs Nwachukwu Clara, who works in a second generation bank in Lagos, supports her children attending summer coaching. “Ebola cannot get to my children or anybody close to me,” she said, adding: “They (children) must go for summer coaching so I allow them. They are not staying at home and moreover it is just summer coaching. Pupils are not usually as many as they use to be in a normal school session. When schools fully resume, and government says we should not, I won’t allow my children go to school.”
Mrs Zaynab Akanni, a business woman, towed her line. “My children are going for summer coaching and I will allow them to continue as long as their schools are holding the session. I have read about the disease and I know that it doesn’t transmit easily from person to person. The affected person has to be in a critical condition before it can be transmitted. That means the person won’t be able to walk to attend school or move around. Their school is very close to the house. They usually trek to school so there is no way they can get in contact with an infected person. I also believe in God and I pray for my children before they leave home everyday so God is with them. I am not scared of the disease,” she said.
Mrs Chibuzor Amaedi, a shop owner, however, had a different view. “My children are at home because of the Ebola outbreak and because government said we should not allow gatherings. I don’t want them to get the disease so prevention is better than cure. A disease that can spread like bush-fire should not be joked with. If school resumes and the government says they should stay at home, they will stay. I cannot joke with my children,” she said.
Making up for postponement
A school owner, who does not want his name or his school’s name in print said: “Sitting down at home, yawning and sleeping? Resumption has been postponed by a month. It means no revenue for us all until October. We can’t even do summer coaching again. So our teachers are going to miss September pay because we can’t pay money that we didn’t make. I am not going to borrow money from banks at a cut throat rate to pay salaries and then put myself at the mercy of the banks.”
He continued: “Apart from that, I don’t think that the decision makes sense. Aren’t university and polytechnic students in school? Can’t Ebola affect them too? Moreover, it is not all states of the federation that are affected by Ebola, so why shut schools all over the country? If the government must shut schools over Ebola, why not do so in states where people have been infected?”
For Mrs Oluwaseyi Adebola, a teacher in Hill Quest College, a private school in Ilasa, Lagos, the fear of no salary is the beginning of wisdom. “I feel it is good because of the reason for it-not wanting EVD to affect pupils, but I also don’t like the idea because it will make pupils forget what they have learnt. Pupils tend to forget when there is no continuation in teaching and become very playful. For me it will not be easy forgoing September salary because as a private school teacher, it is no work no pay for us until when school resumes. I want the government to bring the date back to end of September so that we will have hope for October salary,” she pleaded.
School proprietors, however, are leaving no stone unturned in checking the spread of the dreaded disease. They took steps to improve sensitisation on EVD among their workers.
The Nation visited some schools in Lagos and discovered that some have installed water basins at the entrance of their schools for pupils, teachers and visitors to wash their hands. Some have gone a step further by introducing thermometers to detect individuals with high temperature.
Last Friday, the Lagos State chapter of NAPPS held an enlightenment campaign on EVD for both teaching and non teaching staff. Participants at the event were encouraged to use chlorine to clean their school’s environment and maintain general hygiene.
Tagged: “Spread the fact, not the fear” the well attended event had in attendance the Special Adviser to Governor Babatunde Fashola on Public Health, Dr Yewande Adeshina, NAPPS Lagos State Chairman, Mr Yomi Otubela, and many school owners and teachers.
Adeshina, who gave a talk on EVD, said its awareness would make people know what to do rather than mere nursing of fear. “Aside the soap and water method, every school should make use of chlorine. Ebola is not an automatic death sentence, but make sure you add chlorine to the water and use it to clean every surface you believe can be contaminated. Also, parents should make sure the basic use of soap and water is adhered to at home,” she said.
She added that teachers should not change baby’s diapers without hand gloves and should not re-use gloves. These precautions, she said, would prevent the students from being infected.
Adeshina stressed that contracting Ebola Virus Disease after cooking bush meat (eran igbe) is impossible, adding that EVD can only be contracted through the slaughtering of bush meat.
To Otubela, the exercise was not only for the members of the association, but for everyone. He said: “We are here to sensitise not only our member schools on the Ebola Virus Disease, especially the preventive measures to be put in place so that by the time our pupils are finally returning, the school will be ready and fully prepared to manage the spread of the deadly virus. Not only that, we also want to also sensitise our members’ environment and people living on our streets. That is why we have made flyers, which contain information about this virus for distribution. “This has being a good programme so far because the turnout was so massive” he said.
