This was contained in a press release by the agency. It reads in parts: The Covid-19 pandemic which started like a joke has so far taken the world by storm. With the first breakout in Wuhan China in late 2019, the virus has so far claimed over 656,000 lives globally and infected more than 16 million people globally. Consequently, many countries have had to shut down with the hope of reducing the spread and flattening the curve to preserve lives. As a result of this, many sectors of the world economy have been summarily shut down. These include but are not limited to sports, entertainment, hospitality, oil, and gas and of course the education sector. With the health sector summarily overwhelmed, hospitals overstretching their capacities, community spread and a high death toll, it becomes pertinent to do all it takes reduce infection and flatten the curve.
Nigeria has had her fair share of infection and death, thus the consequent government’s response of shutting down schools, worship centres social activities and more to guarantee health and safety of citizens as the preserve of Government. Sadly, the education sector has been a huge sufferer of the shut-down as teachers, students and pupils of different institutions have had to remain out of school to avoid further spreading the disease. The government’s shutdown of schools which cuts across Basic (Primary and Junior Secondary), Senior Secondary Schools and tertiary institutions has no doubt had both its merits and downsides, not just on the pupils and students but also on teachers. The effects have been felt on schools’ academic calendar, quality of education, school infrastructures, teacher development and even the problem of Out-of-School children. With a whopping 13.5 million children already out of school (according to a 2018 Statistics by UBEC), the total shut down of school has resulted in keeping virtually all pupils and students of learning of all categories out of school.
SCHOOLS REOPENING: Given the above, there have been differing
opinions as to whether government should reopen schools or to keep them shut
with advocates on both sides of the divide. There are genuine concerns about
the possibility of reopening schools especially of achieving full compliance to
the guidelines of reopening Schools. This session considers the issues
arising on schools reopening and/or keeping them shut with their implication on
basic education in Nigeria.
DISADVANTAGES: The following are some of the disadvantages of schools shut down which has been in effect in Nigeria for a period of about 4 months #EducationFunds
• It has made the monitoring of UBE projects
more difficult because Contractors who do not even like to be monitored have
seeming latched on the lock down situation to make school project sites
inaccessible to community monitors.
• It has brought challenges to the academic
calendar with most Schools confused about which term/ semester they currently
run and to which they would resume to run. States Ministries of education are
not totally exempt from this challenge.
• Loss of school and academic year/time by
students and pupils; although activists against say it is better to lose time
than to lose one’s child/ life to school reopening.
• More damage to school buildings and
infrastructures that have hitherto not enjoyed proper maintenance due to
non-use.
• Impoverishment of Private School teachers who
have no other means of sustenance.
• Increased number of out-of-school children –
since all children are now out of school. The last known estimated figure of
Out-of-school-children in Nigeria is about 13.2 million children according to a
2018 figure from UBEC.
• Student/pupil apathy and loss of interest in
academic work when schools finally resume.
• Teacher apathy due to extended periods of
staying out of the classroom. #EducationFunds
• The shut-down buys more time for government to
study the novel virus and possibly also secure vaccines.
• Helps to flatten the curve and reduce the rate
of community infection.
• Prevents avoidable death and the risks of
infecting children. The long-term effect of the virus on the brain of children
survivors is yet unknown.
• Government gets to spend less on treating
patients who could have become infected.
• It helps to make schools more compliant and
conducive to learning of pupils and teaching by teachers.
• Learning can take place in many other ways
than the classroom setting, virtual and distance learning are clear examples of
such.
The following are Implication of School
Re-opening
• Students become emotionally unstable due to
fear of the virus; this will not only hinder concentration at the moment, but
the fear may linger for a long time to come. Unfortunately, can lead to future
mental health issues.
• Public schools are somewhat disadvantaged,
considering the level of overcrowding in many classrooms. Social distancing and
other required measures may be difficult to achieve or maintained in this
situation.
• Extra-curricular activities, assembly talks
and practical classes will be disrupted due to social distancing protocols.
• While it might be easier to achieve distancing
among children of Senior Secondary Classes, such will be difficult if not
impossible to achieve among learners of basic education classes.
• Children make countless physical contacts
daily in school which may lead to infection of teachers and parents and then
school closure.
• The deficiency in infrastructure and PPE can
poise as a challenge to conducive environment needed for learning.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Nigerians have to collaborate to build a
resilient education system that is able to respond appropriately to any
pandemic including Covid-19 without violating the right of a single child to
basic education.
2. In the context of COVID-19, education policy making must work with existing rigorous evidence, approached with a
long-term perspective that prioritizes sustainable funding for quality basic
inclusive public education.
3. For schools to reopen safely during COVID-19,
the government should engage communities on reopening plans, consistently
collect real time data, target resources to where they are most needed, and
make school environments safe.
4. School reopening strategies should use
existing data to target communities with the greatest needs – girls, pupils
with disabilities, and other marginalized children.
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