Better to err on side of caution

The outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease persuaded the authorities to consider extending the holidays. That decision has however been mired in controversy. The initial extension to October 13 was chosen by the Federal Ministry of Education after a meeting of the National Council on Education, and it followed widespread concern about the potential spread […]

The outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease persuaded the authorities to consider extending the holidays. That decision has however been mired in controversy. The initial extension to October 13 was chosen by the Federal Ministry of Education after a meeting of the National Council on Education, and it followed widespread concern about the potential spread of Ebola in the country. The council also directed that measures to guard check the disease, like installation of scanners and other checking devices must be installed and personnel trained and posted to schools before resumption.  It was a prudent step, given the apprehension. But a couple of days later, the, Minister of Health, Dr Onyebuchi Chukwu, told the Federal Executive Council that such a long extension was unnecessary because the disease was being effectively controlled, and a new resumption date of September 22 was announced.  
 The National Union of Teachers (NUT) has pointed out that the Federal Ministry of Health is yet to mount the training programme for teachers on safety measures to prevent the spread of the virus. In addition, schools have not been provided with the necessary preventative, protective, and detective equipment. Furthermore, many families have already made arrangements concerning their children for the October 13 date, and these will have to be altered once more.  Sticking to the October 13 date makes more sense, because the period before then includes the October 1 Independence Day and the upcoming Eid-el-Kabir public holidays. The reasons given for shifting the date to September 22nd are not tenable. The Ministry of Health asserts that the September 22 date was predicated upon the success recorded so far in the containment of the virus, and the position of private school proprietors. While the success should be encouraging news, there is absolutely nothing wrong in the authorities erring on the side of caution and sticking to the original date. As for the profit-driven stance of private school proprietors, this should not be a factor in the decision.
 Both the Nigeria Medical association (NMA) and NUT have criticized the decision to bring the resumption date forward. The doctors’ objection is perhaps valid as they want all schools to remain shut until it is proven that there are no more threats of EVD in the country.  The position of the teachers is less so, because they did not initially ask for schools to be closed, and their demand that all schools should have EVD equipment before resumption is unrealistic. If public schools remain closed, the NUT members would still be entitled to their salaries, unlike their counterparts in private schools.  Be that as it may the paramount consideration should be the status of the EVD problem in the country. The controversy caused over resumption dates has overshadowed the much more important issue of what government has or has not done to secure schools from spread of infectious deceases. The real problem is that as usual government tries to develop policies to the exclusion of stakeholders. Many state governments have announced their own resumption date, which mostly is October 13, and conditions for a student to be admitted only with the production of a previously unheard of “Ebola free certificate”.
Parents themselves need to be convinced that schools are safe for their children.  Although it is unlawful for parents not to send their children to school, government has not been able to do anything about the massive numbers of children that are not in school. They simply cannot compel every child to be in class.  NUT which insists that its members would only resume when all required preventative and protective gadgets such as gloves, sanitizers and infra-red thermometers are provided, should stop the truculent demand and allow decisions to be taken by the health authorities.  To prevent such controversy in future, government must learn to make decisions regarding the welfare of schoolchildren an all-inclusive one, through consultation and agreement with teachers, school proprietors, and state ministries of education and parents / teachers unions.