The reopening date for both private and state schools in
Nigeria was shifted forward as a measure to control the Ebola outbreak.
Ebola has taken a toll on so many sectors in the country including
education. The postponement was necessary in order to allow schools the chance
to be well prepared in providing safety and hygienic measure for the students
and teachers in Nigeria.
“Safety comes first and I believe the government has done the
right thing by closing the schools until the situation is much better,”
Tokunboh Durosaro, director of the Oando Foundation told CNBC Africa.
“The Ebola virus started in July and children were already out
of school. I believe it gives most schools enough time to prepare to give them
all the safety measures they need before the schools resume. It actually gives
enough time for the schools to prepare and educate themselves as well as their
communities.”
In terms of how the level of hygiene education given to students
in school, there is a need to upgrade it by teaching students more about
personal hygiene apart from the normal knowledge of terminal diseases.
“We [tend to] focus more on HIV/AIDS but with the Ebola virus,
which is new, we need to ensure that cleanliness and using hand sanitizers.
[Children] need to be re-educated on what they need to do.”
For safety provision measures in government-owned schools it is
necessary for the state to provide facilities and items needed for all the
education facilities.
“It is a priority for any government in any state so they will
have to ensure that they provide the funds to ensure that every school has
proper hygiene care. I think most of the states will ensure that is done,” she
added.
“We have to think safety before disruption, they can do catch
up, we have mid-term breaks and a holiday. We just have to ensure that the
teachers [change] the curriculum to ensure that they cover this term.”
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