Stakeholders reject Sokoto’s double-shift school policy

Whereas most public schools around the country alter their timetables to teach mathematics and other science subjects in the morning and the humanities in the afternoon basically to improve students’ attainment of good grades, the Sokoto State government recently introduced “double-shift” school policy in public schools. This allows schools; especially those with overcrowded classrooms, to […]

Whereas most public schools around the country alter their timetables to teach mathematics and other science subjects in the morning and the humanities in the afternoon basically to improve students’ attainment of good grades, the Sokoto State government recently introduced “double-shift” school policy in public schools. This allows schools; especially those with overcrowded classrooms, to operate two shifts, with one group of students attending lessons in the morning and the other in the afternoon.

However, despite the fact that the government said the development would increase students’ chances in attaining good grades, the double-shift policy has not gone down well with most education activists and stakeholders.

Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Jabbi Kilgori said the policy was to address the problem of congestion in classes towards ensuring quality education.  With the shift policy, morning session is between 8:00a.m. and 1:45p.m. while afternoon session is 12:30-5:30p.m.  Kilgori added that it would also save the government cost of construction of schools. 

An educationist and activist, Ahmed Rufai Minanata, said, “This distortion of normal school timing: 8:00a.m. -1:45p.m. has serious implication on the moral and educational quality of the students and will also negatively affect the socio-economic lives of the teachers and parents as well. This issue is a serious problem that must not be allowed to continue. Ideal time for formal secondary school teaching and learning starts in the morning around 8:00a.m. and ends at 1:45p.m. or 12:30-5:30p.m. world over.”

He said the introduction of the policy on the ground of inadequate learning infrastructure was not acceptable.

He added that the inadequacy of classrooms should not be a reason for making the policy which distorted the usual school timing.

“Why do we feel that subjecting our children to trekking over long distances under the sun, learning in a hot condition and coming back home late in the evening, close to Magrib, should be an alternative to manage their population?” he queried.

“What is the fate of our Islamiyyah schools that operate actively in the evening and on the weekends? The people of Sokoto would never compromise Islamic education,” he added.

Minanata further said the rise of moral decadence among young boys and girls and community security challenges were alarming in recent times. 

He, therefore, called on the state government to stop the policy and maintain the hitherto education policy that was in place.

A teacher in the state said the policy would reduce overcrowding in schools, but that most teachers and students found morning to be the best time to learn.

Shedding more light on the policy, Director Planning Research and Statistic Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Alhaji Umar Ahmad said in mixed schools, female students would attend the morning sessions while male students, the afternoon sessions. 

In schools comprising primary and junior secondary sections, primary pupils would attend the morning classes while junior secondary school students would attend the afternoon classes. 

Teachers of the affected schools would be split into morning and afternoon shifts while a vice-principal would head each shift, and a principal would supervise both.   

A parent, Hajiya Aisha Abdullahi lauded the policy, describing it as  timely considering the congestion in schools 

Also, an educationist, Mallam Bello Adamu applauded the state  government for approving the school shift programme which he noted was being implemented  in many countries. 

But former Sokoto State Coordinator, Civil Society Action Coalition on Education For All, (CSACEFA), Malam Ibrahim Adamu Tudun Doki  noted that the policy would have negative impacts on students’ activities because they were more familiar to morning classes. 

“It would jeopardize a lot of things, children are used to morning classes and evening time they go for Islamiyah, they are going to miss Islamiyah schools, some children may lag behind, it is not something they are used to, they may be missing a lot of school lessons,” he noted. 

Chief Executive, Save the Child Initiative, Abdulganiyu Abubakar who also spoke against the policy, said the state government should have held consultations with major stakeholders in the sector. 

“We feel the policy should be reversed, students should be allowed to go to schools in the morning, between 8am and 2 pm; psychologically, that is the best time for  assimilation.”