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  • Schools resumption

    Schools resumption

    •The Federal Government should have carried the doctors along

    In its wisdom or otherwise, the Federal Government, through its Ministry of Education, has fixed resumption date for schools in Nigeria for September 22. The initial postponement to October 13 by the government last month was to prevent the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) from spreading over the country, and especially in the schools where pupils are more prone to catching the disease because of their tender age.

    For the ministry, it appears that the problem of EVD in Nigeria was over, so that the coast was clear for our children to go back to school. Unfortunately, the Minister of Education could not speak for the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), those to face the fire in case of any emergency arising from Ebola.

    Expectedly, the NMA, on September 8 faulted the Federal Government’s directive to schools to resume on September 22. The new directive from the Federal Ministry of Education must have been as a result of its thinking that before that date, Ebola virus would have taken its flight from Nigeria. But this was not the case as the NMA, through its secretary, Dr. Olawunmi Alayaki, had this to say: “All schools ought to remain shut till all those under surveillance for the Ebola Virus Disease in the country had been certified free”. Also, said the NMA, “We are not happy with this decision on the resumption of schools. Schools should be shut till the last suspect is certified free of the virus”. The NMA, therefore, suggested that the resumption date should be shifted till December or early next year, or in the next three months, “to allow the government to have enough time to follow the standard procedure for containing the virus”.

    Any thought of reopening the schools when the disease is yet to be brought under reasonable control – there are still reported cases of the virus in Lagos and Port Harcourt and, maybe, some other undetected cases in the country – will amount to suicide by taking the avoidable risk of exposing the lives of innocent school children to unnecessary danger and untimely death. We also believe that the Federal Government should have waited till October when the situations in Rivers and Lagos states were expected to be conclusively managed – another safety measure the government should have waited for before the premature opening of schools– for it to act. Also, parents should not be in a hurry to get their children back to school by all means, especially as the case of one Ebola virus in a school can spread to other schools to the extent that cases of this virus could become so unmanageable for the government. Perhaps, each state government should decide its date of resumption based on its assessment of the situation on ground.

    Ebola is a serious matter, especially as there is no known cure for it yet. It would be an extreme folly if the government should dance to the tunes of proprietors of private schools to order the hasty resumption of schools. We do not have to wait until Ebola becomes much more serious than it is before taking knee-jerk responses to curb it. We would have thought the December period given by the NMA was rather too far but we believe the doctors are in a better position to know, in view of the “standard procedure for containing the virus” that they mentioned. At any rate, the advice for resumption date for the schools should not have been that of the education ministries alone, they ought to have carried the doctors along since they are the ones directly in the line of fire should there be problems.

    Because of Nigeria’s population, the consequence would be so severe that no one could predict its negative effects on the West African sub-region in particular, and the African continent in general should we make any mistake on Ebola, especially with our vulnerable ones. As we know, forewarned is forearmed.

  • ‘Govt should provide more funds for public schools’

    The Federal Government should increase its funding of public schools, the Proprietress of Dartforte International Schools, Lagos, Mrs Titilade Ijiwole, has said.

    Speaking during a valedictory service of the school, Ijiwole said her position was hinged on her discovery that most parents find it difficult to send their wards to private schools because of financial challenges.

    According to her, many Nigerians still need public schools because the fees charged by private schools may not be easy for some to pay. Private schools, she stressed, try to keep high standard by ensuring school environment and workers are well equipped.

    “Quality education is expensive. Many of the big private schools are not making so much money as people tend to assume. The cost of equipment, infrastructure, staff recruitment, training and development is not as cheap as people presume. In fact, it is not wrong to ask government to support private schools too because it is done in Britain and other places,” she said.

    She said the government should make quality education affordable for all citizens because this is vital for development.

    Ijiwole added that Dartforte International Schools had just installed Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) to monitor movements around the school premises. She attributed the security measure put in place at the event to the security challenges facing the country.

    After, excited pupils performed various cultural dances and songs,  she said: “We want them to see Nigerian nationalities as one, Ijiwole explained. “It is important for the children to love the culture and tradition of people outside their own birth place. At Dartforte  International Schools,  we want our children to know, understand and appreciate our culture and tradition while at the same time we also expose them to latest developments in music, arts, science and technology from Europe and America.”

  • Schools: Mixed reactions trail new resumption date

    Schools: Mixed reactions trail new resumption date

    Mixed reactions have continued to trail the directive by the Federal Government that both private and public schools should resume for the 2014/15 academic year on September 22 instead of the October 13 it  earlier announced.

    While some residents of Aba, the commercial capital of Abia State still express the fear that it was too sudden, others believe the government acted in the interest of Nigerians. They added that with the level of consciousness among Nigerians on the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), the spread of the disease would not be affect their wards.

    Many parents said the Federal Government should have allowed the resumption date to remain October 13; as the government would have enough time to have accurate data from various states on the status of the outbreak.

    One of the parents, Mr. Augustine Chukwuemeka, said: “It was a hasty decision. I learnt that the World Health Organisation had appealed to wealthy countries to come to the aid of West African countries hit by Ebola, including Nigeria.

    “There is no known cure for the disease. The experimental vaccines are not yet here. Our borders are still very porous. People who may be in Patrick Sawyer’s situation can beat security checks to find their way into the country.

    “I heard that the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) and other affiliate unions had rejected the date. I am in total support of their positions. Even though the Federal Government may have acted in the interest of the country, the decision was a hasty one.”

    Chief Nkemjika Ibenji, one of the directors of Victory Early Learning Centre, Aba, praised the Federal Government’s decision, describing it as a step taken in the best interest of the country’s education system.

    Ibenji said: “Though the shift in the resumption date of schools has affected the academic programme as contained in the curriculum of the Ministry of Education, it was a wise decision by the Federal Government because it is something that pertains to life and health. The spread of Ebola is not something that you assume or say for sure that your next neighbour doesn’t have.”

    On how the lost grounds could be regained, he said: “Usually, there is what we call crash programme, which then means that the system will go into crash programme.

    “We are going to build works that were supposed to have been done in the previous weeks into the scheme of work for the rest of the session. This translates to the fact that teachers and students will be prepared to go the extra mile to teach and learn.”

    In their preparedness to manage the spread of the dreaded disease among pupils and students, he said: “Before the incident of the Ebola virus disease, we have the culture of constant hand washing in the school. We make sure that every child that goes out to ease him or herself washes his or her hands thoroughly with soap and water to avoid contamination.

    “With the outbreak of Ebola virus disease, every teacher will ensure that every child that steps out of the classroom will wash his hands with soap to avoid the spread of whatsoever disease that may come up.

    “I am of the opinion that nothing will happen to the children when the resume school. Parents should allow their children and wards come back to school as soon as schools resumes.

    “There is the need for proper orientation to enable people to understand the situation.

    “There is also the need for government to send monitoring teams to schools in the rural areas to educate the teachers and the students on preventive measures to be taken to prevent the spread of the virus. Though there has been wide publicity on the disease, there should be on-the-spot assessment on schools by ministries of health and education in order to ensure total compliance to the Federal Government’s directives.”

  • Our churches, schools and Ebola

    The Ebola pandemic has inevitably come with serious challenges. Given what has been said of its mode of transmission and fatality, many people, institutions and governments have reacted to it in different ways all in a bid to halt the spread.

    Though efforts of governments especially in states where there have been an outbreak have been commended, signals emanating from the larger society do not give sufficient cause for comfort. Not unexpectedly, the rumour mill has been agog with all manner of stories some of them leading to false alarm and panic.

    Matters have been such that a sick person now stands the chance of abandonment for fear that he or she may have been infected by the deadly virus. In some pubic institutions and hospitals, people including medical doctors were reported to have scampered for safety as rumours went round that an infected patient had been brought there.

    But in most of these cases, tests conducted on the suspects proved to the contrary. The confusion has been so much so that even the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) had to come out clearly to state that it will still cater for accident victims irrespective of the Ebola virus outbreak.

    This statement highlights the problems which sick persons and their relatives are bound to face if a quick handle is not found to the deadly virus which spreads like wild fire. Stories emanating from other West African countries where the outbreak has been most rampant speak of confusion and helplessness on the part of their people. There were even reports of food shortages and all that.

    That is why all the precautionary measures taken by the government, churches and other private establishments to stem the spread must be supported by all. Regrettably, signals from the larger society seem to convey the impression that all are not on the same page on the imperative of these safety measures.

    The federal government’s directive for all private and public primary and secondary schools to remain closed till October 13, to enable them control the virus has been challenged by private school proprietors in Lagos. They drew parallels with churches and markets and contended that if these public places have remained open, it was needless closing the schools. What needed to done in their view was for the government to provide safety measures for the schools to adhere.

    Apparently succumbing to this pressure, the federal government has said it may review the directive for the schools to now reopen mid-September after the minister of education would have consulted with the state commissioners of education. Though there appears to be some point on the issues raised by the proprietors, the comparison with churches and markets as a basis for the schools to reopen is highly circumscribed. For one, the segment of the population that go the school, the activities that take place within the school environment on one hand and the markets and the churches on the other differ very remarkably. For another, the schools in question are attended by very impressionable children some of then yet unable to differentiate between their right and left. Such children will be exposed to grave danger if the schools had been allowed business as usual. They are the intended beneficiaries of the shut-down. There is also no guarantee that

    proprietors would have done the needful if the stark reality of the danger which school children face on account of the outbreak was not forced on them through the shut down.

    Even then, the churches have also taken measures within the very limited time members congregate to reduce physical contacts among members. The Catholic Church which is not known to easily depart from its tradition has suspended the usual sharing of greetings during church services. It went further to introduce the receiving of Holy Communion by hand while giving those who prefer extant practice of receiving by mouth the option to continue. The Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos which introduced these measures following the outbreak of the virus was responding to the reality of the emerging situation.

    But just as the proprietors are opposed to the continued shutting down of schools, there are Catholics who find it hard to come to terms with the new reality. Whereas the school owners may have been influenced by the profit motive in demanding the reopening of the schools, those Catholics who oppose some of these changes are propelled by religious zeal and the reluctance to part ways with subsisting practices. Their position can be understood. There was also stiff opposition when the idea of conducting masses in English and vernacular as opposed to the Latin language was mooted. That has since come to stay and all is now history.

    This writer was really touched by a recent article in a national daily by a former junior colleague of mine Ifeanyi Alia. He had in that article kicked against the changes within the Catholic Church. He saw them as succumbing to the will of the devil and would want all Catholics to repose hope in God as His will, definitely will triumph over all evil machinations. Hear him, receiving “Holy Communion by hand is sacrilegious and any serious lay Catholic that resorts to it perhaps is either an agent of the devil or doing so wittingly or unwittingly to imperil his or her salvation” He essentially sees the outbreak of the virus as the handiwork of the devil which Catholics must resist by not abandoning their observances during mass.

    Though he reckoned that those practices have been prevalent in the advanced and developed countries of the world, but he rationalized it on the ground that such countries had fallen in the faith. He would therefore want African and Nigerian Catholics to remain the epitome of pristine observances and practices of the Catholic Church.

    The pains and frustrations of my friend can be understood. As some one seriously attached to his faith, it is not difficult why he sees these interim changes in the manner he has chosen to. He is entitled to his views no matter how extreme they may seem in the present circumstance. Incidentally, those countries he now seeks to disparage for spearheading the reception of the Holy Communion by hand were the ones that brought the religion to our shores.

    There is a limit beyond which this argument cannot be sustained because, it is essentially judgmental. And for all Christians, only God can judge on such issues. The salvation of Catholics has very little to do with the manner in which the Holy Communion is received especially when that practice has been modified by the same Catholic Church. If we do not take instructions from our Church leadership, who then should we rely for guidance? That is the contradiction in stretching this argument far.

    The issue that has been brought to the fore by all these is the kind of resistance that now confronts efforts to stem the spread of the Ebola disease. If we pander to all these dissenting views, we may find ourselves in a situation where the Ebola virus may soon overwhelm us all. Then, the society will turn round to blame the government. Proactive preventive measures taken by governments and all places of worship to stamp out the spread of the Ebola disease must not only be reinvigorated but seriously enforced. It is only a sound and healthy mind that can meaningfully participate in religious and school activities. A dead person neither attends schools nor churches. So if the schools needed to be shut much longer for us to achieve that objective, the end would turn out to justify the means.

  • Ebola: Keep our schools shut!

    Ebola: Keep our schools shut!

    With the deadly Ebola virus in our land the federal government had shifted the resumption of schools from its earlier September date to October 13. Which was the proper thing to do. But after its meeting on Wednesday the September 14, it said schools may be able to resume in September.

    Since the date was moved to October 13, private school owners have continued to lobby for resumption of schools. Nigeria is a land of lobbyists. But not only them, those parents who cannot spend quality time with their children. A colleague once said “private schools are paid to let parents rest”. But while on my annual leave, I have enjoyed the “noise” of my two boys and watched both of them struggle to ride piggyback on me. They are safe here with me! But may not be if the federal government stops listening to its heart instead of its head!

    The health of our children and the entire nation is going to be sacrificed on the altar of money! If those private schools’ owners were given billions of naira monthly to keep their schools shut forever, they will go to the Caribbean for holiday while praising the government.

    We must know that the structure we have in privately owned schools is different from what we have in many public schools.

    Many public schools in towns and some so-called cities are over-crowded ramshackle. Some don’t have seats, while some use blocks as desks! Some even have classes under a tree! Some of the children are malnourished with poor immune system. Some have ring worms on their scalp and many other skin infections. We have not talked about the ones in remote villages! These children will go back to schools when there are fresh Ebola cases! They will go back to schools when those under surveillance are on the run! Only a morally depraved government and people can even consider that!

    We are still lucky things did not get out of control. In worst hit countries, it is not only schools that were closed but hospitals.

    Commentators have cynically called Nigerians’ mode the “panic mode”. But this is what we have used to contain the virus so far. And we won’t stop being in this mode. The word is eternal vigilance. Since my children have been at home they have not had a fever. But during school they are more prone to disease from other children, including mosquito bites. As long as fresh cases of Ebola are being reported now, if schools resume now, you are no longer in control of your children. Every time your children get back home, it’s no longer the same!

    Whether we like it or not Ebola has tasked all of us and our healthcare system, and it will still have a long-term effect. We must all be ready to adjust ourselves to the situation we have in our land. We now live in perilous times!

    From now till October 13, or even somewhere after that we would have known the prognosis of the new Ebola cases in Port Harcourt, and all those who are now under surveillance would have completed their statutory 21 days and we hope they would be truthful enough to tell us if they have visited other states! And those on the run would have come to their senses!

    Dr Adadevoh sacrificed her life for this cause! Anyone who dies now after Adedevoh had died will hurt her where she is. But a little more sacrifice from all of us will go a long way in ensuring that she and others who died that we may live did not die in vain.

    Why the hurry to resume schools? Even the Health Minister Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu himself warned: “We have not eliminated the disease! We have not eradicated it!”

    So far no child has contracted the Ebola virus. At least our tomorrow is preserved! But we can still keep them safer. With Ebola, you can never be too careful. But if the federal government out of sentiments decides to make schools resume hurriedly and God forbids Ebola strikes again and it is traceable to schools, the blood of those who die thereafter will be on the federal government, and those selfish private school owners!

    • Dr Cosmas Odoemena

    Lagos.

     

  • Unease as Ebola forces schools to defer resumption

    Unease as Ebola forces schools to defer resumption

    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.

  • ‘We must fence our schools’

    ‘We must fence our schools’

    The Executive Secretary of Local Education Authority (LEA) of the Bwari Area Council, Mr. Solomon Ayuba, has called on the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) and the six area councils in the FCT to give priority attention to fencing of schools in the area so as to protect the students and property in them.

    Mr. Ayuba, who spoke on the security challenges in the country, added that fencing the schools would checkmate the movement of people to and from the school compounds.

    “Fencing schools, as a matter of urgency, is necessary. We need fences in our schools in order to safeguard lives and property. We also need gates with security guards. Before anybody walks into the school, he or she would be checked. But if there are no fences, we can’t check what is happening. With the fences, our children will be safeguarded. Vehicles and persons will be checked before they will be allowed in,” he said.

    He also urged the government to pay more attention to the financing of educational sector, adding that the local education authority needed more vehicles that will help it carry out supervision of schools to ensure their smooth running.

    “We need to be adequately financed. Government should pay more attention on financing the educational sector; we need more vehicles for supervision, motorcycles and vans. The van could be used for inspections and motorcycles should be used by individual school inspectors,” he said.

    Ayuba campaigned for more structures in schools in order to accommodate the number of students.

    “There should be more structures to accommodate students because of the inflow of people into Abuja, especially in urban areas. There are hardly enough spaces to accommodate students which makes learning uncomfortable. If there are no spaces for expansion, the idea of building storey buildings should be introduced,” he said.

  • Educationists decry multiple taxes in Lagos schools

    The Principal, Unique Children Schools, Lagos, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Olatubode, has described the imposition of multiple taxes by the government on private schools as killing.

    She made the observation at the school’s graduation ceremony in honour of the final year students of both the primary and secondary arms of the school.

    According to her, it is very important that various state governments make issues, such as annual taxes, dues and levies imposing on private schools with their payment compulsory as friendly as possible.

    “All these levies are seriously affecting our operations. School establishment is known around the world to be a social service and they should therefore be treated as such,” she stressed.

    Also decrying the proliferation of private schools, the principal called on the government to impose stricter measures to curtail the trend so as to guarantee standards in the sector.

    On graduating students, Olatubode advised them to be committed to their studies, adding that there is no excuse for failure.

    Proprietor/Chief Executive of the school, Mrs. Esther Ayere-Alatise, assured the parents and guardians that the school would continue to produce children who are sound and can compete with their colleagues in any part of the globe1.

  • Security gadgets for FCT schools

    Mindful of the abduction of over 200 girls of Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State by Boko Haram insurgents on April 15, the bomb blast at EMAB Plaza, Abuja and threats by the Boko Haram sect to attack major places in Abuja, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Senator Bala Mohammed has held a schools’ security conference to avoid a reoccurrence.

    He said schools in the FCT would be equipped with modern security gadgets before they resume for next session in September. He said the move was aimed at protecting the lives of children and to avert the Chibok experience.

    The new security measures to be introduced in schools will include provision of perimeter fencing, housing for teachers, community policing, school guards, alarm system and deployment of communication equipment. This, he said, is in order to take pre-emptive measures to prevent the insurgents from cashing in on any security lapses to attack any school.

    Emphasis, he added, will also be laid on school alert and early warning systems, attitudinal change, awareness of basic security tips, safety and evacuation drills as well as the erection of both institutional and physical firewalls that obstruct unwelcome guests.

    The minister said the battle against Boko Haram which has declared war on the country’s educational system is a battle of the heart, the mind and soul of the country.

    Senator Mohammed, who was represented by the Secretary, FCT Education

    Secretariat, Mallam Kabir Usman, said: “The FCT Administration considers this conference as part of its ongoing concerns to evolve a foolproof security framework for schools in the territory and the FCT as a whole.

    “The need to pay special attention to protection of lives of our school children gave rise to the launch of the ‘Safe Schools Initiative’ at the recently-concluded World Economic Forum held in Abuja.

    “The measures include provision of perimeter fences, housing for teachers, community policing, school guards, alarm systems and deployment of communication equipment. Even though, the target of this undertaking is the safeguard of school children in states under emergency rule, we in the FCT consider it necessary to take pre-emptive measures to avoid tempting the insurgents by any vulnerability.

    “It is noteworthy that our commitments to school safety and overall emergency preparedness have proved effective in dealing with emergencies. A recent hijack of a school bus in Nyanya was quickly dealt with within a couple of hours. This, for us, was cheery news, even as it sent signals about the effectiveness of the machinery FCT Administration has put in place to ensure the security of lives and property in the territory.

    “It could be recalled that one of the earliest initiatives of this administration at its inception was the procurement of 114 security vehicles fitted with communication and security gadgets to holistically confront criminals and threats of insurgency in the FCT. These vehicles were donated to all the security agencies, including the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), Department of State Security (DSS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Military in the FCT, among others.

    “It is lamentable that education, which is the bedrock of national development, has been singled out by insurgents for constant attacks and raids, often leaving arson, deaths and destruction on their tracks. Our hearts are with the parents and relatives of the Chibok school girls, as our security operatives work round the clock to salvage them and bring them home alive.

    “Without any iota of doubt therefore, the battle against those who have declared war on our educational system is a battle of the heart, the mind and the soul of our country. It is consequently a fight that we cannot afford to lose and the Federal Government has all the means to win it.

    “In your deliberations today, I recommend that emphasis should be laid on school alert and early warning systems, attitudinal change, awareness of basic security tips, safety and evacuation drills, as well as the erection of both institutional and physical firewalls that obstruct unwelcome guests.”

    On its part, the National Association of Private School Proprietors (NAPSP) has

    pledged its support to government in carrying out what it described as important and urgent step to avert crisis.

    The group said: “Since the issue of schools being the target of Boko Haram and especially the abduction of the Chibok girls, children, adult, parents and teachers are now living in fear. It is unfortunate that we have come to this point in our life where our hearts are bleeding profusely.

    “We want to thank this administration for always being sensitive to issues. We support the sensitisation of individuals on security matters. For us in private schools, it is an ongoing thing and it has to be with the support of government, security agencies, parents and the general public.

    “We promise that we will continue to do our best to work with the administration to ensure that things do not go wrong. For the schools that were closed down, we have looked at the list and most of them are not our members. We promise that we will continue to let our members know the necessity of doing the right thing for these children.

    “There is madness and insecurity everywhere. Our children are being used not only to perpetrate crime but also to kill themselves and destroy their souls.

    “Ebola has set in amid all these. We want to plead that this administration should also work on the health issue, especially on sensitisation of schools on Ebola virus. We also promise to work with government to achieve the desired aim. Peace has deserted us and this is a time for reflection, repentance, co-operation, gathering of resources and time for concrete action.

    We must seek peace with ourselves and most especially with God. This is the time for us all to fight the tragedy that has bedeviled us.”

    Royal fathers also joined the call for more security measures.

    The Nyee of Gariki, His Royal Majesty Alhaji Usman Ngakupe advised parents to look after their wards, even as he urged teachers to take their job seriously.

  • ‘Schools should be home away from home’

    Proprietress, Redeemer’s Delight School, Ipaja, Lagos, Mrs Felicia Alademehin, has charged school owners to make their schools comfortable for pupils to make them feel at home.

    She spoke at the celebration of the school’s end-of-the-session, prize giving day and graduation of primary five, Nursery two and Kindergarten two classes.

    She said: “All schools should aim at making children feel at home especially when it comes to space for them to run around.  That is why we have this kind of structure. Government should make sure that mushroom schools are shut down. Some people will leave where they are teaching without acquiring the needed knowledge and immediately go to rent a shop or container to start up a school and bill parents 30 per day.”

    Charging the government to ensure that standards are not compromise, she said maintaining standards would include quality of schools.  However, if all schools must stay, she said the government can subsidise private education if all those schools must stay.

    Mrs Alademehin also called on school owners to make sure they set standards in their schools so that when the students go to other places they will not disappoint the school.

    “In this school, we have set a standard for ourselves. Several times parents bring their children and when we test them, we tell their parents the class the children fit into but they refuse, demanding that we fix their children in the classes they want. We don’t accept this here.  The foundation has to be strong.  Parents should not decide classes of their children and school owners should not allow parents decide for them on issues like that. They should take their children away if they don’t want to take the advice of the school management,” she said.

    Because of her school’s insistence on quality, Mrs Alademehin said their products excel in other schools.

    “A school had to bring gifts to us to say we are doing well.  When starting the school in 2006, I was scared at first.  I had to attend seminars by government to make sure that I get everything right and it helped a lot. Ministry of Education has been coming and applauded the school. We have been able to put up all they want,” she said.

    The proprietress advised parents not just to pay school fees but care for their wards.

    “Parents should also feed their children well so they can look healthy because they are the leaders of tomorrow. Don’t deny them anything because they will be the ones to take care of you in your old age. Give your children the best. It is best to give your totality today so you can enjoy our future,” she added.

    She also thanked and prayed for the parents.