KEEPING IMO SCHOOLS INDEFINITELY CLOSED IS INSENSITIVE, DESTRUCTIVE AND THE GREATEST BETRAYAL TO OUR FUTURE
ONWUASOANYA FCC JONES
Imo is probably the only State in the federation that has instead of announcing the date for reopening of her schools, rather come out with the unbecoming announcement that schools should remain closed till further notice, with the deceptive excuse that the government would conduct wide testing for covid-19 at community level before taking any decision on reopening of schools.
Imo State is rated as one of the most educationally advanced States in the country. It's worst rating in Secondary exit examinations, in the last 12 years is fifth, while in the eight years preceding this last year, it remained consistent as the State with the highest number of university applicants, highest number of university graduates and the least number of out of school children. Unfortunately, all these enviable records may be lost within a year, as it becomes obvious that a man with the least regard for educational progress has manouvered his way into the driving seat in the State.
Keeping our schools closed does not only impinge on our educational potentials, but also adversely affect our economy and even the survival of a reasonable number of the citizenry, whose income depend on education. The private education sector in Imo State is a multi billion Naira sector that employs thousands of young graduates and generates reasonable income for its investors. Most of these thousands of employees in private schools across the State have not received a dime in salaries or allowances for the past eight months, while school proprietors have been struggling to make ends meet.
In a circular from the State Commissioner for Education, Professor Ikegwuoha, the State Government said schools will not reopen until the government is satisfied with the state of covid-19 in the State, as it is set to embark on community testing for covid-19. This excuse is both ridiculous as it is deceitful. Churches have long been open, social activities have been unhindered, club houses and pubs have been operating in full capacity, while government officials have been caught on camera in the most brazen breach of non-medical covid-19 protocols. Yet, it is the future of our children that we want to sacrifice in the name of protecting ourselves against covid-19 resurgence.
Imo is not on the top of covid-19 chart in the country. The States with the highest infections have long reopened their schools. Lagos, Plateau, Ogun, and some other States with far higher infection rates than Imo have either opened their school gates or announced dates for the reopening of schools. What then is Imo State running away from?
Some people have accused the State Government of hiding under severally abused covid-19 fears to keep our children at home, while in reality, the government is aware that a number of teachers are yet to be paid their salaries for upwards of seven months. The Imo State chapter of Nigerian Union of Teachers has actually given notice of its intention to embark on industrial action as soon as schools reopen. So, the governor, who is not having the best of times with Imo people may have decided to sacrifice the future of the numerous young children who have been insensitively forced to stay at home, for mere political reasons.
Officials of the Ministry of education have also been accused of extorting money from private schools owners in the name of fumigating schools across the State. This is as mindless a policy as it is criminal. How do you expect schools that haven't generated revenues for close to one year to be able to cough out any money to pay for a purely fraudulent fumigation? Is it not despicable enough that while countries all over the world are spending trillions of Dollars to sustain employers of labour across all sectors, our governor is suffocating the same people with insensitive and extortionate levies?
It is understandable that Chief Hope Uzodimma may not actually have had any blueprint before he was thrown upon Imo people as governor, hence, reopening of schools will further expose his unpreparedness for governance. Reopening of schools will lay bare the reality or otherwise of the Okorocha era free education. While Uzodimma's men are among those who have severally denounced Okorocha's free education as fraud, Imolites will be made to know how true this is, after schools have reopened. The response from all classes of parents when their children will be levied will explain whether we really had any semblance of free education or not. These are part of the things Uzodimma is obviously running away from. But, for how long?
Saying that the reopening of schools will be dependent on the outcome of a massive community covid-19 tests is about the same as saying that schools in Imo will never reopen, at least for the foreseeable future. With the entire country yet to conduct up to One million tests in the last eight months, it will definitely take about ten years or for as long as covid-19 remain with us, for Imo to conduct tests on more than five million people in the State.
There should be a limit to governance by deception. The future of hundreds of thousands of children who were not partakers in the political blunder that has left us in this mess of a governance, is at stake, and if there is the slightest sense of responsibility in those at the helm, then, our schools must reopen and immediately.

can we trend this please?

Its insensitive indeed, IMO that loves education.. This govenor lacks alot seriously

We have a governor without vision.

Exactly!
Lalasticlala please help Imo Students ooo

Sujexy,
You did well. God bless you for this write up.

Honestly, I am scared for the future of students and education in Imo state under the present government. Throughout the lockdown, they could not come up with any idea on how to help school children continue learning. Now that other states have reopened schools, their brain is just beginning to tell them to start testing for COVID-19, which other states have been doing and are continuing to do.
I wonder what they intend to do with the result of such tests at this time. Even if half of Imo state test positive, how does it relate to school children who have been at home for over eight months now? Did they spread the disease at home?

Besides, I'm yet to see how ordinary people can go and get tested in the state. No sample collection centers anywhere in the state. Yet they are using testing as excuse.

MalaikaEH:
Sujexy,
You did well. God bless you for this write up.

Honestly, I am scared for the future of students and education in Imo state under the present government. Throughout the lockdown, they could not come up with any idea on how to help school children continue learning. Now that other states have reopened schools, their brain is just beginning to tell them to start testing for COVID-19, which other states have been doing and are continuing to do.
I wonder what they intend to do with the result of such tests at this time. Even if half of Imo state test positive, how does it relate to school children who have been at home for over eight months now? Did they spread the disease at home?

Besides, I'm yet to see how ordinary people can go and get tested in the state. No sample collection centers anywhere in the state. Yet they are using testing as excuse.

Thanks and God bless. Though the write up is from FCC Jones .