TUNBOSUN OGUNDARE combs schools to establish the level of preparedness of stakeholders in the face of a dwindling epidemic.
In Lagos State, all eyes are on senior secondary school 3 students who are now going to school just like their mates elsewhere across the country. But teachers in the state are demanding life insurance cover to handle the over 60,000 final year students who will be resuming amidst CCOVID-19 fears. Lagos is the epicenter of COVID-19 in the country. The state has lost more people to the virus and has expended more money than others in combating the epidemic.
But amidst this crisis is reopening of schools strictly for SS3 students to enable them prepare for the 2020 school-based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) being conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and billed to commence on August 17. WASSCE result for holders is vital in securing, among other things, admission into tertiary institutions globally. And admissions are already ongoing in the country. This situation has given reason for senior secondary school students in the terminal class to go back to school and do two weeks of revision before writing the examination, which marks the end of secondary education.
60,000 candidates for Lagos
Nationwide, a total of 1,459,463 candidates, consisting of 786,421 males and 763,042 females from 19,129 schools will sit the examination, according to the head of the national office of WAEC in Nigeria, Mr Patrick Areghan. Saturday Tribune investigations, however, revealed that more that 60,000 candidates (which is about 4.1 per cent) of the entire candidates will sit the examination in Lagos State alone. And from the Lagos share, government-owned schools account for a total of 46,804 candidates, according to the state’s Commissioner for Education, Mrs Folasade Adefisayo. Saturday Tribune visited some of these schools in Ifako-Ijaiye, Agege and Ikeja local government areas of the state.
It was observed that necessary health and safety measures, as stipulated by the government for the reopening, to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection, were in place in both public and private schools. Most of the schools visited had on their entrance gates, banners bearing information on mandatory wearing of face masks as a condition for entry. In some others were additional enlightenment banners about the reality of COVID-19 and the safety measures to be taken. Infrared thermometers were also being used at the gates to check the temperature of students and staff before they were allowed in, while the hand-washing facilities were installed at various points inside the premises for those coming in to wash their hands. Sanitiser and soaps were equally provided while the social distancing principle – two meters apart between two individuals – was being enforced.
Some of the schools visited by Saturday Tribune include Ojokoro Senior High School and Ojokoro Senior College, both sharing the same compound. Others are Ijaiye Housing Estate Secondary Grammar School, Surulere Senior Secondary School, Alagbado; Government Senior Secondary School, Iyana Ipaja; and the Imaculate Senior College; Ikeja Senior Grammar School, as well as Agidingbi Senior Grammar School, among others.
Students speak on new realities
Our correspondent also interacted with some of the students of these schools, who provided insight into their daily routine since the reopening. Two of them are Jane Olabayo and Ndubuisi Michael. It was gathered that classes were ongoing in all schools, public and private alike, though the arrangement is not like of the old format where students started the day with assembly gathering. Now, students resume by 9.00 a.m. and not the usual 8.00 a.m. and then engage in intensive coaching on subjects for the day till 2.00 p.m. They are only entitled to 30 minutes’ lunch break. There are also rules and conditions guiding their operations and that of their teachers, which are in line with the safety protocols to prevent COVID-19 transmission.
They must come in school uniform and properly dressed and they must not go out of the school premises once they are in. However, on the day of resumption, they only did that for only 30 minutes to have their lunch, since they weren’t privy to the stay-inside information before resuming. Now the rule is that those who want to eat must come with their food from home and must not share it with anybody, even water.
Wearing of face mask is mandatory and this item is given to them free of charge by government via school authorities at the gate each morning after checking their temperature. Though, most of the students also come with personal nose masks from home, they must all have to wear the one given by government which is disposable. They must not play together, let alone shake hands nor hug themselves. “So, each of us is staying in isolation as if we are strangers. This is really not an easy thing for us to do but we are coping since we know the reason,” Jane told Saturday Tribune.
The students were unanimous that their new regimented life is possible mostly because the teacher who will take the next class is already by the door before his or her colleague rounds off his or her own session. Nevertheless, there was drama in one of the schools on resumption day. Some students, according to one of the students, unconsciously hugged themselves at first sight. But they were caught by the principal who asked them to kneel down for a while before warning to avoid a repeat of such a gesture. “Two of them are my friends,” Jane noted.
Another drama was witnessed when Saturday Tribune engaged two male students of the school on the resumption day, Monday, outside the school premises. At that time, the students were on their way to eat, according to them, and while one wore a face mask, the other didn’t. After asking them general questions, including why they were outside the school premises, the one without face mask was asked why he wasn’t wearing one and his knowledge of the implications, he said he left his mask inside his locker since he was only going to a nearby food vendor to eat. He was momentarily handed one by his friend who brought a spare from home.
Forceful upgrading?
Interestingly, many of the schools visited by Saturday Tribune have upgraded facilities now classified as basic. Public schools have suddenly come up with functional sickbays and running taps, supplied by boreholes. These facilities were sighted at Ojokoro Senior Grammar School and College. While private schools have no problem complying with social distancing protocol due to fewer number of students, public schools with higher student population are struggling to meet the standard, as observed by Saturday Tribune. The official standard, according to the Commissioner for Education, is that no classroom, either in public or private school, should contain more than 20 students. But most of the public schools visited had about 30 students per class. Surprisingly, officials from the state Ministry of Education who go round to monitor compliance and provide psychological support for students are overlooking this “breach”.
It was revealed that government officials from the ministry and those from the Education Quality Assurance Office have been paying routine visits to schools. The Commissioner for Education and the various permanent secretaries\tutors-general of the six education districts of the state, as well as the director-general of the Education Quality Assurance Office, Mrs Abiola Seriki-Ayeni, are not left out in the visits. They all, for example, visited some schools on the first two days of resumption, to encourage the students. “Some officials even came today (Wednesday) to counsel us as regards our examination and also to remind us of the need to observe all the laid down safety guidelines and protocols while we are in or outside the schools. But I don’t think they bothered to count the number of seat in most of our classes,” Jane said. Even at that, she noted that “we have enough space when compared to our regular classes where we have more than 70 students in a class.”
Saturday Tribune was told by the student that science practical classes had not held since resumption, calling on the state government to provide immediate help. However, the students interacted with, were certain that with the level of preparation being provided, coupled with the various e-learning activities, they are sure of success in the examination. Head of the public affairs unit of the Ministry of Education, Mr Kayode Abayomi, said the government had been working round the clock to ensure that the students were safe and doing well.
Parents applaud govt
Parents, on their part, also believe Lagos State government has done well in keeping to its promise of guaranteeing safety during the examination. Deacon Olusoji Adams, who is a former South-West coordinator of the National Parent-Teacher of Nigeria (NPTAN), said he had personally gone round some schools and was impressed with the level of the preparation of the government towards resumption and for WASCCE. He, however, urged the teachers who would be with the students in school to ensure they comply with the necessary safety measures even as the students should be committed to their studies and stay safe.
We deserve health life insurance –NUT
As regards government-owned schools, the teachers are on track and ready to make all efforts to ensure their students perform well in the examination. They have a total of 46,804 students, whose exam fees the state government has paid in full. Although some watchers of the development believe that there shouldn’t be a problem, considering they are better motivated than their counterparts in public schools. Teachers in public schools, are reportedly paid their salaries before the end of each month, with no arrears, while students too, have been engaged online in the last four months, to prepare them academically.
Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Lagos State chapter, Mr Adesina Adedoyin, told Saturday Tribune that they were already working extra hours to cover all the areas WAEC questions could come from. “So, we also have teachers taking SS2 classes joining the workforce so that we all put efforts together to teach our students,” he said. On the provision of safety measures for them and their students, he said government had done well so far. “We told government that we would not return to class if necessary things were not put in place and as far as Lagos State is concerned, we are on course,” he stressed.
He, however, pointed out that government didn’t give NUT members face masks, saying they were using those provided by the union. The NUT boss also noted that with the current situation, teachers on duty deserve a special treatment like putting them on life health insurance scheme and giving them hazard allowance just as government has done for the health workers on the frontline. According to him, this is a special assignment making teachers to also be frontline workers, because “we have to meet large number of students each day. We will teach them, touch their books, mark their papers, conduct practical with them and so on and forth. Therefore, we shouldn’t be relegated to the background as if our reward is still only in heaven,” he argued.
Private schools react
For the private schools, the preparation for the exam is similar to that of the government schools. They have fumigated their premises and put in place all safety protocols as stipulated by the government. Many of them reportedly put those facilities in place long before resumption. Many have always had functional sickbay, otherwise known as recovery rooms, while at least a classroom is now used as isolation centre in case of any development. The president of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Lagos State chapter, Mr Amusa Olawale, and his counterpart in charge of the League of Muslim Schools (LEAMPS), Mr Fatai Raheem, as well as president of the Association of Formidable Educational Development (AFED), Mr Orji Kanu, confirmed these to Saturday Tribune in separate interviews. According to them, functional sickbay is part of the conditional facilities that must been in place in every private school from day one to secure government approval for operations. In it, they said, there is a qualified nurse to attend to emergency by giving first-aid treatment to any student or staff who is unwell.
“So, sickbay has never been a problem in private schools. And we have even moved a step further on that because of COVID-19 by converting one classroom as an isolation centre as far as NAPPS members schools are concerned in case of eventuality,” said NAPPS boss.
Regarding social\physical distancing, Messrs Olawale and Raheem said most of their classrooms were built for future expansion, coupled with the fact that students in lower classes are not around, making it easier, to enforce the safety principle. Even at that, Mr Olawale said most of the private schools, especially at the secondary school level, are usually under-populated and always having many empty spaces.
On the issue of preparing their students for the examination, they disclosed that their students had been on e-learning using different platforms in addition to what government provided through TV and radio. “Even at that, we are still operating what is called blended learning classrooms whereby our students are being taught through digital platform as an addition to the physical lessons that are ongoing. So, it has all been about learning in the last three to four months and now with these two additional weeks of revision, I’m sure our students will perform well,” Mr Olawale pointed out.
Our standard remains –WAEC
On the average, only about half of the entire Nigerian candidates who sit the school-based exam usually obtain the minimum grade, which is credit in five-subject combination including English Language and Mathematics. That is the grade that can secure a prospective undergraduate an admission, especially in the first generation public universities as many of them don’t accept two ‘OL’ combination results again because of over-subscription by candidates. To this end, many believe that since such has been the case all along, this year’s edition may present a grimmer scenario, which could compel WAEC to compromise standard.
But the head of the national office of the organisation in Nigeria, Mr Patrick Areghan, told Saturday Tribune in an interview that the examination body would never compromise its standard for any reason.
“WAEC will never set questions that are outside the syllabus nor mark answers against the set marking schemes. And that is why there will also not be a waiver for any candidate found cheating or attempting to cheat. The law must take its course on such a candidate. For us in WAEC, we have all that are expected of us and all that WAEC needs to do is to adhere strictly to the protocols that guide the conduct of the examination at the venues and every other place so that we all stay alive after the examination,” he said.
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