Health better than education — Reactions to schools’ shutdown

By Adesina Wahab

Few weeks ago, when an Italian came into the country and was diagnosed with coronavirus, nobody thought the spread of the disease would lead to the lockdown of the country or affect the education sector as it has done.

First, it was the orientation course for 2020 Batch ‘A’ Stream 1 for members of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, that was suspended nationwide.

The corps members were hurriedly deployed to their places of primary assignment.

Because of a suspected COVID-19 case in Katsina State, governors in the North-West geopolitical zone shut down all schools and Lagos and Ogun State followed suit. Ondo announced same before the big hammer came from the Federal Government closing down all primary, secondary and tertiary institutions in the country.

March 13, 2020, the Vice Chancellor of Lagos State University, LASU, Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun, SAN, listed events scheduled to hold during the 24th convocation of the institution. The events were on and just few days to the main events, the ceremony was postponed indefinitely, no thanks to coronavirus.

In fact, there was rumour that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, had rescheduled the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations, UTME, slated for March 23 and April 4, 2020, for March 20 and 21, 2020 because of the need to get through with the examinations before things get out of hand. But JAMB promptly dismissed the insinuation.

Precautionary measures

Nigeria tends to believe in fire brigade approach to issues. When the coronavirus pandemic started ravaging other parts of the world, not much was done as precautionary measures in most of our public schools. Investigations by Sunday Vanguard showed that only some private primary and secondary schools had hand sanitisers in place. Even in some higher institutions, it was some strategic places like the Administrative Buildings and Departmental Offices that had the luxury of hand sanitisers. Most student hostels lacked such facility and students congregated in large numbers in lecture theatres.

A parent, Mrs Helen Babatunde, who spoke with our correspondent, expressed anger that a private school in Lagos, few days ago, took students on excursion to the Lagos Airport when most cases of COVID-19 recorded so far in Nigeria were from people who came to the country from abroad.

“I don’t know how much the owner of the school wanted to make from the excursion. If the person was ignorant, what about the authorities in charge of the airport? They ought to have deferred such a visit. We cannot be exposing ourselves to danger needlessly,” she noted.

NUT’s position

The Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, said it was not opposed to the decision of government to shut down the education system. The Lagos State Chairman, Otunba Adesina Adedoyin, said safety and health of all stakeholders, especially students, teachers and parents, are important.

“We all know that health is wealth. It is somebody that is alive that can learn, teach or pay school fees of children or wards”, Adedeyin said.

“Young ones are vulnerable and are essential parts of the society. If airports are closed, why not schools.

“It is a wise decision. You know that these young ones are also very playful and they make lots of contacts with one another.

“This is in the interest of all and whatever sacrifices we must all make, let us make them”.

READ ALSO: ASUU urges FG to declare 5 years state of emergency in education sector

Students’ opinion

The Coordinator, National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, South-West Zone, Comrade Kappo Samuel Olawale, said the student body was in support of the step even though he believed it ought to have been taken earlier.

“Student community is a peculiar community. You know that students bond with one another and they are always in groups, talking, reading and doing many things together”, Olawale said.

“The disease can easily spread if there is just one case recorded. Shutting down schools is long overdue. Even some smaller African countries have done that long before, not to mention a big, populous country like ours”.

ASUU’s view

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, was also on the same page with government on the matter.

The University of Lagos, UNILAG, Chapter Chairman, Dr Dele Ashiru, said, “ More competent nations are shutting down entirely, not only their education sector, so, the action is right.

“It is better to stay alive and prevent a pandemic than to go on and pretend that all is well when nothing is well.

“Though one would not say that government took adequate precautionary steps before the shut down, it is better late than never. We must avoid a pandemic in our country”.

Matters arising

No doubt, the shutdown will affect the conclusion of the ongoing academic session at all levels, and bring with it some inconveniences, but most players in the sector are in support of the step taken. They are, however, hoping that the outbreak would not escalate and that government would do the needful to curtail it on time.

Vanguard

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