Following the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) and our country’s actions to contain it, government did something commendable. It considered how long it might take to contain the danger and reduce the risk of fresh infections, especially of children as one of the most vulnerable. Government then came to the conclusion that it was wise to tread with caution and therefore directed that all schools, public and private, should remain shut, and even those organising holiday coaching should immediately close down until October 13.
Government said then that it would use the period to strengthen its responses, including sharing of appropriate information and mandatory training of at least two staff in each school on how to manage, address and contain the Ebola problem. In the words of the Education Minister, Ibrahim Shekarau: “This is to ensure that adequate preventive measures are put in place before the students report back to school. All state Ministries of Education are to immediately organise and ensure that at least two staff in each school, both public and private, are trained by appropriate health workers on how to handle any suspected case of Ebola and also embark on immediate sensitisation of all teaching and non-teaching staff in all schools on preventive measures. This training of staff must be concluded not later than September 15, 2014.”
Naturally, there were mixed reactions, expectedly, from a large and diverse country as ours. One question that a few persons asked was: why schools? After all, other gatherings of large number of persons like markets and religious meetings were still happening. Some thought the decision to close only schools reflected our society or government’s attitude towards education, i.e. a low priority. A few parents made fun of how they were going nuts, managing bored children over a period of three months with attendant cost of feeding.
By far, the most embarrassing criticism of government was the reminder that while schools were ordered closed, major religious camp meetings and conventions cautioned from being held, the president’s political associates were out campaigning. Those ones have been jumping about from city to city every weekend, organising the rallies to ‘plead’ with President Goodluck Jonathan to run for presidency again in 2015, reminiscent of the Gen. Sani Abacha ‘One Million Man March’ charade.
One group of persons, however, was already counting other kinds of costs. Some operators of private schools did not in any way find the decision interesting. One of them told a national newspaper that government should have allowed schools like hers that “have the wherewithal to forestall the disease to go ahead and resume”. According to her, there is already a huge campaign on washing of hands, and since the outbreak of the disease, she had instructed that every child’s temperature must be checked at the gate, to ascertain if it is high or low before they can be admitted into the premises. She concluded that theirs is to do their best “while the rest is left for God”. How nice! Apparently taking more precaution does not fall within that range of ‘doing their best’.
The effect of that August 26 decision of the federal government, difficult as it looked, was that many families had to re-programme their plans, including financial plans. But just a week after, the government again took a turn around, suggesting that it is likely to change that decision. On Wednesday, September 3, the federal government claimed to have done enough to contain the situation and said the resumption date may come sooner than the October 13 date. The government on Friday actually fixed September 22 as the date for resumption of schools.
What is confusing, however, is what specific thing government has done within one week to warrant the consideration of a change. More importantly, it does not seem as if any training has yet been done for teaching and non-teaching staff of schools as promised by the government. This is even as the risk of infection has increased, with more persons under watch for having had close contact with infected persons.
So who or what is really behind government’s change of position? Have they considered the real risk for children or even the cost, financial, mental etc for the parents as government keeps playing yo-yo with this decision. Having already shifted the resumption date, government’s best action should have been to do all it can to ensure that the October 13 date is realistic, rather than hastily reopening schools.