Education in the face of Ebola

...rotten eggs proving to be nutritional

Verily, I say unto you, men will gladly choose HIV among the viruses plaguing the world today.

Yes, it is the display of a plague on evaded airwaves, TV screens, internet, billboards, medical wise and even our minds.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, it needs no introduction, got its name from the flowing water in Congo... ebola!!!

In 0.37 seconds, Google will come up with over 24, 400, 000 search results on ebola, Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). Need say, that is the most searched word worldwide since June and the outbreak of EVD in Nigeria.

We all know, ebola first broke out in 1976 in Congo and was christened after the ‘’river ebola’’.

With an analytical mind, one will be forced to question the ebola outbreak of 2014 adjudged the largest so far. In 1995, 2000, 2003, 2007 and 2012, ebola broke out and was curtailed, with these outbreaks and curtailments, the question remains, where was ebola after each curtailment?

Obviously, some hands are really behind this epidermic and unleash the virus when they deemed fit. 

Typical to the Nigerian terrain, decision makers got a new toy to play with. For instance, the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) turned deaf ears to public pleas to call off their strike action when ebola birthed in Lagos, the nation’s commercial centre. NMA finally decided to end the face off after the ebola virus was curtailed in Lagos. The NMA, in a bid to prove being active in the fight against ebola, decided to dabble into education matters alongside, joining forces with National Union of Teachers (NUT) and Parents Teachers’ Association (PTA).

Earlier on, the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) through the Ministry of Education had postponed the resumption date for the new academic session (2014/2015) for Secondary and Primary educational institutions from September 15th to October 13th in a bid to curb and fight ebola. A move many had seen as a way the clueless politicians named Minister of Education few weeks back used as a way to have a say.

The Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau had made the announcement giving directives to schools, both public and private to have hand sanitizer dispensers in all corners of the school, hand held infrared thermometer, training of teachers on ebola, e.t.c.

Private school owners knowing full well that the extra cost falls back on them, quickly worked towards the directives and clamoured for the review of October 22 back to September, now not necessarily September 15th so as not to alter the first term.

Following the directives, the complaints of and pressure from private school owners through their vibrant association, National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) the Ministry of Education pulled forward the resumption date to September 22nd.

On the other hand, public schools managed by Ministry of Education and State Education Ministries and other agencies are yet to comply with the directives. Now, that is what you get when a politician spear heads the management of a ministry. Probably they are putting finishing touches to the contract they will award before hand-sanitizer dispensers and hand-held infrared thermometers are provided to public schools, another scheme to cart away some millions. Though, in the news, report had it that some State Governments through their State Education Ministry had carried out the directives to an extent but the fact remains majority of public schools, especially Federal owned public schools are yet to comply or fully comply.

Due to the non-compliance of public schools ‘’in general’’, the vacuum created is what made the NMA, NUT and PTA to jump in and bark like wayward dogs. The NMA under the pretences of ‘’public health’’, the NUT citing non compliances and endangering their members health at work and the PTA adding noises to the barbaric unions  

The NMA should be working hand in hand with the government through the Ministry of Health in flushing out the ebola virus from Nigeria while both NUT and PTA should join forces in ensuring public schools comply with the directives. 

One thing is, ebola had brought out the ineffectiveness of Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau a politician as Minister of the Ministry of Education displaying the decay in the public sector, poor decision making and implementation techniques. Also, the laziness that befalls many teachers in the public schools can be seen through the NUT as her members are mainly public school teachers. They don’t want resumption any time soon as it won’t affect their salary, being paid for no work done. The NMA on the other hand is looking for ways to save a face. NMA is a shame to the Hippocratic Oath.

During the entire shameless clamours from this trio -NMA, PTA and NUT-, advising Federal Government (FG) to ignore pressures from NAPPS to reverse the resumption date October 13^th or even further, the House of Representatives waded into the arguments and advice FG on the resumption date. It was clear that NAPPS was more concerned about education and had taken pro-active measures towards ebola than their public counterparts, NUT who is unwilling to work.

Thus, following the Federal Executive meeting on Wednesday, FG stamped the September 22 as the resumption date and that is the final.

The private schools and teachers are ready to receive pupils and students back to school, all health precautions are in place to curtail ebola in school as children are more vulnerable to the virus.

NUT, NMA and PTA can go hug working transformers, or better still, sue Federal Government...

 Written By Ope Shina