By Maria Famakinwa

Reactions have continue to trail the Federal Government’s decision to suspend its earlier promise of reopening schools in the country for pupils and students in final year classes.
The Minister for Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu declared that schools across the country will not be allowed to reopen anytime soon because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said he would prefer that Nigerian students lose an academic year than to expose them to dangers. He also appealed to states that have announced the resumption of school in their states to reconsider their position so as not to jeopardize the lives of the students.
Recently, some stakeholders such as the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) and the National Association of Patent Teachers Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) have suggested that students in Junior Secondary School 3 and those in Senior Secondary School 3 be allowed to resume for them to prepare for their final examinations. The Hope spoke with some parents and teachers on their take regarding the Federal Government decision.
A school Proprietor, who gave his name as Ade Adekunle, played down the fear of federal government and explained that if pupils and students in final year classes were allowed to resume to write their examinations, school management will put in place adequate measures to protect the staff and the students.
His word” The fear being expressed by the Federal Government is needless because the number of pupils and students in final year classes are not up to half of the schools’ population. If they allow them to resume, the school management will fumigate the schools’ compounds, make hand sanitizers, water available at every strategic location in the school environments and spread the students out in available classes to maintain social distancing with proper monitoring. Not only this, their temperature will be checked before coming into the schools and anyone whose temperature is high will be asked to go home. Doing these will guarantee their safety because we cannot continue keeping them at home, more so that nobody knows when the pandemic will be over.”
When told that schools in Ghana that resumed few weeks were regretting their action, said that ours was different because Ghanian schools opened for all students and not for only those in final year classes. ”Besides, if elections will hold in Edo and Ondo states and electorate will be expected to vote, what stop schools from resuming?
Also appealing to Federal Government to rescind the decision not to open school anytime soon, a parent, Mr Toba Nuru, opined that shutting down schools for so long will have negative effects on our fragile education sector and will set the students back academically. The parent who observed that some students instead of staying safe with their families now roam about the streets said,”Majority of them have turned bread winners of their respective homes as they now hawk different items in markets and motor parks.
”To me, reopening schools is better than hawking that will expose the children unnecessarily to the contagious virus. Since they did not contract coronavirus while hawking at the markets with no preparation, how then will they contract it in school environment where adequate measures will be put in place for their safety.? How many of them are putting on face masks in the market?. Does it mean that if coronavirus did not go till next year (God forbids), the school remain shut? What is the fate of private schools staff who are yet to be paid since March when schools were shut abruptly? These are factors I will want the Federal Government to consider and rescind its decision on schools’ resumption.”
Speaking differently, another parent, Mrs Sola Ibrahim said that as important as the education of our children is, their safety should be of utmost concerns. Her words:”We can learn from the experience of others schools in Ghana attempted to resume and the result was not pleasant. Given the scenario in the medical sector where medical personnel with their expertise and protective kits are falling victims to this murderous disease, how reasonable is it to push or expose our innocent, naive and very vulnerable children and their helpless teachers to this killer virus that is no respecter of persons?
”I think we should exercise caution, in situation like this, irrespective of efforts put in by eager parents to advance their children’s studies, they should always remember the saying that the labourers labour in vain if the Lord does not build the house. Our children will surely become what God have destined them to be at God’s own time.”
Sharing a similar sentiment, a teacher, Mrs Dolapo Akerele, said that though the arrangement is to enable final year pupils and students write their final examinations because time is running out, but asked parents if it was a sufficient reason to jeopardize the lives of their children. She said, ”is it worth staking the lives of our darling children and their teachers? Time is made and meant for the convenience of human beings and can also be adjusted to suit our purpose.
”The examinations can be shifted till when the pandemic is over rather than exposing our innocent children to avoidable risks.
Yes, some of them are hawking but not all, and whatever happen to those hawking, will be the responsibilities of their parents and quite different from asking them to resume for examinations when the daily number of the pandemic is frightening. Medical doctors, highly placed individuals are dying of the virus. It is no respecter of persons. We should be careful,” she added.