But the Federal Government says there is no going
back on the date since there is no scientific basis for schools to remain shut
beyond the September 22 resumption date announced by the Minister of Education,
Ibrahim Shekarau.
The NUT National President, Michael Alogba, in a
telephone interview with one of our correspondents on Wednesday,
stated that the union would not allow any of its members to teach
until it was scientifically and medically proven that the country was out of
the Ebola scourge.
The Federal Government initially fixed October 13
as schools’ resumption date but it later announced the new date , saying that
the country was almost Ebola-free.
But the new date drew criticism from doctors,
activists and civil society groups who alleged that the government was
stampeded into announcing it by some powerful school proprietors.
On Tuesday, the House of Representatives directed
its Committee on Education to take another look at the September 22 resumption
date in view of the fact that the EVD had yet to be contained in the country.
Before Alogba spoke, the committee Chairman,
Aminu Usman, told The PUNCH in Lagos on Tuesday that the committee
would meet with the leadership of the Nigerian Medical Association and the Federal
Ministry of Education over the September 22 date.
During the interview with The PUNCH,
Alogba said the NUT had already written the Federal Government
about its position on the September 22 date.
He warned that if the new
date was not extended by Monday, the NUT national executive council would meet
on Tuesday in Abuja to take a drastic action.
The NUT chairman said, “In any sane society,
decision such as this will not be taken until the government and all
stakeholders have met and discussed the issue at stake and are sure that the
nation is scientifically and medical free from the scourge.
“But this is not the case in our country. When
they arrived at the early October 13 date, they wrote us and we agreed with
their argument but when this new date was given, they did not because of the
influence of some powerful school owners who put pressure on them (Federal
Government) to announce the September 22 date.
“Anyway, we have written to tell them that if
the Federal Government does not shift the date and provide all
necessary safety measures in schools before Monday next week, all NUT leaders
will meet in Abuja by 9am on Tuesday to decide our fate by ourselves. “Though I
don’t want to preempt the outcome of the meeting but as teachers who have
families and who should protect our future, I mean our students, we will shun
the classes; we will call for strike.
“What kind of government is this, don’t they know
that children can never be as hygienic as adults? Don’t they know that the
immunity level of children is not as high as that of adults? Why do you want to
open schools when you have not cleared out the virus; when you still have about
400 people under surveillance in Port Harcourt and Lagos?
“You are aware of what is happening at the
Obafemi Awolowo University. How are we sure that there is no primary or
secondary school pupil that has had contact with an Ebola patient.
“It’s good that the NMA (Nigerian
Medical Association) has spoken and we have told them too that we would not
cooperate with them. That is why we are going to take a drastic
action on Tuesday to protect ourselves and our children.
“I can tell you that we will shun schools; we
won’t cooperate with them. In other words, we will embark on strike.”
Also, the Media Concern Initiative for Women and
Children said there was no need for the government to rush into the reopening
of schools.
Its Executive Director, Princess
Olufemi-Kayode, therefore urged the government to discard the latest resumption
date.
She said, “How many children will be able to do
proper hygiene in schools? It is like creating a nuclear weapon in our nation.
Who are the schools opening for?
“The government is not being factual
with us because there are new cases. For me, my child is not going back to
school.”
The Education Rights Campaign and Muslim Students
Society of Nigeria, Lagos State Area Unit also faulted the directive by the
government.
The President of the ERC , Hassan Soweto, who
accused the government of attempting to risk the lives of pupils,
alleged that the goal of the directive was to justify political rallies and
gatherings by supporters of President Goodluck Jonathan.
He said, “ EVD is a great crisis but it is not
one that should affect the pupils alone. If the Ministry of Education has
decided to fix a day for resumption, it must therefore mean that all the
mechanisms needed to ensure the safety of pupils are in place in
schools.
“Facilities approved by the World Health
Organisation for the prevention of EVD have to be provided accross
the nation, whether it is private or public.
The President of the MSSN , Lagos State Area
Unit, Kamil Kalejaiye, warned that it was dangerous to expose
pupils to risk.
He described the decision to reopen
the schools as “hasty “, saying no visible measures has been put in place to
curtail the disease.
Kalejaiye said, “If the pupils resume on
september 22, what are the measures that the government has put in place to
ensure that EVD will be curtailed. Presently, the government is not telling us
the measures. They are only bothering us with the resumption of the pupils.
Things must be put on the ground and the risk of allowing the pupils back to
school must be assessed.”
The Lagos State Chairman, National Association of
Proprietors of Private Schools, Mr. Yomi Otubela, however denied that the
Ministry of Education was lobbied to change the resumption date to September
22.
Otubela said there had yet to be a scientific
basis for schools to remain shut till next month.
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