The House of Representatives has asked its
Committee on Education to take another
look at the resumption date announced for
private and public schools in the country.
This directive was necessitated by growing
concerns amongst the public, especially
parents and guardians of students, over the
recent decision by the education authorities
to reopen schools for the 2014/2015
academic session on Monday, September
22, 2014 despite the threat of the Ebola
Virus Disease which has killed seven people
in Nigeria.
In the wake of the outbreak of the dreaded
disease in the country, Education Minister,
Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, had announced a
postponement of the resumption date of
schools from September to October 13, so
as to give the country's health authorities
enough time to ensure the containment of
the disease.
But in reaction, private school owners had
vehemently opposed the revision of the
resumption date, compelling the Federal
Ministry of Education to bring forward the
date for schools to reopen to September 22,
after a meeting with stakeholders in the
sector.
But responding to inquiries from journalists
yesterday in Abuja, the Deputy Chairman,
Media and Public Affairs in the House of
Representatives, Hon. Victor Afam Ogene,
stated that the House leadership resolved to
mandate its Committee on Education to take
another look at the issue “in the overall
interest of the pupils and students, parents,
guardians and the general well-being of the
entire country”.
Ogene said: “You will recall that upon the
outbreak of the dreaded Ebola virus in
Nigeria, the House Committee on Health
rose up to the occasion by interfacing with
the health authorities, the result of which is
the positive containment efforts and call-off
of the strike by doctors in the country.”
Continuing, the deputy spokesman of the
House said given the reality of some
persons still under surveillance, and the
likelihood of having other cases, there was
the need to put the safety of the children
and that of the entire country into
consideration, in arriving at when best to
reopen schools nationwide.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government
yesterday said it had directed its Ministry of
Justice to commence the prosecution of
employers for allegedly disengaging two
persons who survived the disease.
The state government, also said the First
Consultants Medical Centre had been
certified free of the deadly virus, noting that
it had been given clearance to reopen for
business, thus confirming THISDAY’s
exclusive report yesterday that the hospital
had been given the all clear by the
authorities.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris,
spoke on the discriminatory practices of the
employers at a news conference he
addressed at the Bagauda Kaltho Press
Centre, Alausa, alongside the Special Adviser
on Public Health, Dr. Yewande Adeshina and
his information counterpart, Dr. Lateef Raji,
among others.
At the conference, the commissioner said
two cases of stigmatisation by employers
“have been referred to the Ministry of
Justice for prosecution. The case will only
be dropped if the employers withdraw their
stigma cases against the two Ebola
survivors”.
He said the Ministry of Justice “will take up
the case of those victimised by their
employers. Anybody, whether a discharged
patient, or a contact followed up, who feels
stigmatised can petition the Ministry of
Justice and the Attorney General of Lagos
State”.
The commissioner assured them that the
justice ministry would take up their petition,
noting that it was not fair nor was it right to
stigmatise the survivors of Ebola.
He warned that being Ebola-free did not
mean that the people should lose their jobs,
while appealing to the state’s residents not
to stigmatise people with Ebola-related
cases.
“The social problem being faced by
discharged cases has been reported
severally. This ranges from stigmatisation,
eviction from their accommodation, being
asked to stay away from work and
termination of employment.
“We have had cases of employers just
terminating the employment of their staff
members who were just mere contacts, not
even suspected cases. We believe this is
unfair. We also feel this impedes on their
fundamental human rights.
“I wish to implore all Lagosians once more
not to stigmatise all cases and contacts that
have been given a clean bill of health and
passionately urge all of us and all
employers inclusive to facilitate their
reintegration into the society,” Idris pleaded.
Idris added that stigmatisation would further
make contacts and suspects to go
underground and could reverse the gains
made so far in the containment and
management of this outbreak.
The commissioner explained that if people
felt they would be stigmatised once they
submitted themselves for scrutiny, they
would have been discouraged from doing so
to the health authorities.
“Even when they come up with symptoms,
they may not come out and jeopardise not
only their lives but their family members and
other people they come in contact with.
That’s why it is essential that people should
stop that,” he explained.
Idris also urged those on contact list or
under surveillance not to travel out of the
state and advised them to alert the rapid
response team on manifestation of
symptoms or signs.
“Lagos residents are enjoined to report any
case or cases that may want to embark on
this kind of dastardly misadventure. We
have had very serious meetings with
mortuary operators because this is another
area that might facilitate the spread of the
disease.
“We have given them protocols they need to
follow when they are dealing with suspected
cases, like what they should do and what
kind of precautions they should take so that
we can reduce the spread. We also want to
urge operators to adhere to their
professional best practices when handling
such corpses,” he said.
He also urged patients and associates of
First Consultants to continue to patronise
the hospital, adding that the hospital
remained a top-notch institution, especially
after the government had given it a clean bill
of health.

Source : http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/ebola-house-to-re-examine-schools-resumption-date/188654/

They better do

I'm seeing this kids missing out of school this year. All the same,its for dia own gud and good of the Nation

one of the top qualities of a good government is decision making.. am not impressed with the ping pong approach to school's resumption date

Abeg mak dem neva resume jare.... Tayad of teaching as a corper...

The Ebola hit areas and neighbouring states can be delayed a few weeks further

Let other states open at the appointed date

What about tertiary institutions?
What about political rallies?
What about markets?
What about public transportation?

jmoore: What about tertiary institutions?
What about political rallies?
What about markets?
What about public transportation?

Those are attended by adults!

mikeansy:

Those are attended by adults!

And adults can't be infected with ebola?
You only see adults in the market, huh?

The minister health, based on the submission of experts, advised the education minister to open the schools at the said date. The house of reps wants to take its yeye politics and cheap popularity stunts into the ebola matter. That will be sad because so far, we've managed to keep politics out of this ebola matter.

sleemoon: Abeg mak dem neva resume jare.... Tayad of teaching as a corper...

No be only u o, bros

Sincere9gerian: The minister health, based on the submission of experts, advised the education minister to open the schools at the said date. The house of reps wants to take its yeye politics and cheap popularity stunts into the ebola matter. That will be sad because so far, we've managed to keep politics out of this ebola matter.

Comrade I disagree with you


To be sincere schools should resume next year so that btw now and next year, the govt and schools should acquire temperature sensing device and other logistics(adhoc- medical staffs and materials) needed to quickly identify and isolate infected pupils/students.

A meticulous record should be kept to identify ALL Nigerian political figures and government officials who insist that schools should open despite the presence of an unchecked Ebola epidemic in the country, so that CRIMINAL liability can be assigned WHEN, and not IF, there is a mass outbreak of Ebola in one or more Nigerian schools, subsequent to all schools being reopened at the behest of government officials who have clearly pocketed cash bribes from private school owners desperate to rake in tuition fees income regardless of the danger posed to school children nationwide.

The close proximity living conditions in school dormitories, cafeterias and classrooms all amount to IDEAL conditions for a greatly accelerated spread of the Ebola virus among school children nationwide, regardless of what token "precautions" are purportedly put in place. The short-sighted noise-makers claiming that schools should be allowed to resume operations DESPITE the fact that the Ebola virus is STILL claiming NEW victims in Nigeria, are all either associated with money-grubbing private school owners who have ZERO regard for human life, or are affiliated with the greedy government officials who have been BRIBED to endanger millions of children by herding them into school accommodation and classrooms where a new wider explosion of Ebola infections will be GUARANTEED.

President Jonathan MUST exercise his executive prerogative in this urgent instance, and quickly move to FORBID the premature opening of ANY educational institution until AT LEAST January 2015, so as to safeguard the lives of Nigeria's school children and university students. A three month hiatus from education amounts to a mere blink of the eye, on the time-scale of an entire human life, and schools can EASILY work to make up for lost time when the Ebola epidemic has been SEEN to have halted in Nigeria.

There is NOTHING so urgent as to be more important than the over-riding imperative to save human lives, and, if some private schools stand to go broke over a mere 3 months without income, perhaps they should not have been in operation to begin with, and should look for another line of business that does not directly impact the lives of children.

All school owners clamoring to reopen right now in Nigeria should be regarded as potential mass-murderers, and all government officials who take bribes to work on behalf of those greedy school owners should be shown the door out of government service, and then prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, for their part in the insane agitation to facilitate the spread of Ebola in exponential fashion, using the nation's schools as experimental breeding grounds for the deadly virus.

Why can't the government make stand once,and for all.

All this policy somersault isn't too good,and shows the weakness of this government.

If need be,the school can close indefinitely,we are talking health issues here.

The anti EVD campaign in Nigeria is being technically coordinated by Dr Faisal Shuaib. Dr Shuaib is the real definition of expert in public health at the highest and best level and he stands to be acclaimed for his efforts that has seen Nigeria recording the lowest mortality rate of this disease in recent times.

Based on this good doctor's assesment and that of many other supporting unsung anti ebola heroes, the Ministry of Health was advised on school resumption date. The NMA that was actually on strike until the outbreak was comfortable contained came out to dish out political statements contradicting this advise.

One thing is obvious, Nigeria's handling of the EVD outbreak can be described as near excellent and NMA, House of Reps and folks like them are not the reasons for this level success. The EVD control centre that is being run by the Ministry of Health through the likes of Dr Faisal and other dedicated Nigerians are the ones that has brought us this far. We should stick to their working formula!!

FrankC3: The anti EVD campaign in Nigeria is being technically coordinated by Dr Faisal Shuaib. Dr Shuaib is the real definition of expert in public health at the highest and best level and he stands to be acclaimed for his efforts that has seen Nigeria recording the lowest mortality rate of this disease in recent times.

Based on this good doctor's assesment and that of many other supporting unsung anti ebola heroes, the Ministry of Health was advised on school resumption date. The NMA that was actually on strike until the outbreak was comfortable contained came out to dish out political statements contradicting this advise.

One thing is obvious, Nigeria's handling of the EVD outbreak can be described as near excellent and NMA, House of Reps and folks like them are not the reasons for this level success. The EVD control centre that is being run by the Ministry of Health through the likes of Dr Faisal and other dedicated Nigerians are the ones that has brought us this far. We should stick to their working formula!!

What is the upshot of the above paragraphs ? Are you claiming absolute confidence in the pronouncements of bribe-taking government officials who are expressing the bizarre opinion, at this very early stage of the Ebola incursion into Nigeria, that an entire nation's school children should be used as guinea pigs to measure the rate at which this incurable disease spreads in school dormitories, hostels and classrooms?

olasmith10: one of the top qualities of a good government is decision making.. am not impressed with the ping pong approach to school's resumption date

Spot on.

@ PapiWata, truer words have never been spoken.

mikeansy:

Those are attended by adults!

Not totally true

Kids use public transport
Kids join mama/papa to sell after school
Kids stay around campuses(u knw what i mean)
Kids etc

makazona:

Not totally true

Kids use public transport
Kids join mama/papa to sell after school
Kids stay around campuses(u knw what i mean)
Kids etc

The above listed situations where students and their families mingle with members of the general public are routine aspects of daily life in which participation is up to the individual, in much the same way as one is at liberty to choose whether or not to attend religious services in this time of incurable contagious disease.

Publicly notifying students nationwide to resume classes in mid-September 2014, after the end of their summer vacation, to commence living in crowded hostels, is NOT an optional suggestion, but a specific ORDER by the state, that parent's place their children into hostels where they will sleep in double-deck beads at night, while by day share bathing space, dining cutlery and school furniture with HUNDREDS of other children, EVEN AS a second case of Ebola infection among on-campus Nigerian university students has been formally announced by officials of that very same government.

The kame-kazi, do-or-die desperation of Nigeria's private school operators to open for business as usual in the early stages of a terrible, unprecedented pandemic is understandable from a purely monetary standpoint, yet is a truly abhorrent display of primal greed, selfishness and contemptuous disregard for human life by those school operators, when consideration is given to the mortal danger that would be posed to millions of school children if the opening of ALL educational institutions in Nigeria is ultimately forced through as a final and fateful government policy decision.

PapiWata:

The above listed situations where students and their families mingle with members of the general public are routine aspects of daily life in which participation is up to the individual, in much the same way as one is at liberty to choose whether or not to attend religious services in this time of incurable contagious disease.

Publicly notifying students nationwide to resume classes in mid-September 2014, after the end of their summer vacation, to commence living in crowded hostels, is NOT an optional suggestion, but a specific ORDER by the state, that parent's place their children into hostels where they will sleep in double-deck beads at night, while by day share bathing space, dining cutlery and school furniture with HUNDREDS of other children, EVEN AS a second case of Ebola infection among on-campus Nigerian university students has been formally announced by officials of that very same government.

The kame-kazi, do-or-die desperation of Nigeria's private school operators to open for business as usual in the early stages of a terrible, unprecedented pandemic is understandable from a purely monetary standpoint, yet is a truly abhorrent display of primal greed, selfishness and contemptuous disregard for human life by those school operators, when consideration is given to the mortal danger that would be posed to millions of school children if the opening of ALL educational institutions in Nigeria is ultimately forced through as a final and fateful government policy decision.

now i get ur point