FG’s school reopening plan irrational, illogical

Parents, teachers, pupils, students, and all Nigerians waited with bated breath last week for the much-vaunted Federal Government’s announcement on the re-opening of schools after months of forced closure. When the news finally came, it was pretty much underwhelming; a damp squib in fact. First, the impression was created that all schools were to reopen for “graduating students” to quickly take their exams, then, it turned out universities would not re-open after all. What a lot of people find puzzling is the rationale, the basis, for accommodating primary and secondary school pupils in their final years, while shutting out university students in the same category. If it is considered too risky for universities to re-open, why take a chance on the junior ones? On the other hand, if it is an acceptable risk for the junior ones to go back to school, then, why not university students?

It has been said in some media reports that the younger ones are less vulnerable to the coronavirus. Could this be the basis for the decision? There is, as yet, no conclusive scientific basis for thinking that the lower age groups are indeed immune to the coronavirus. It would therefore be utterly irresponsible for any government to base such a critical move on mere conjectures. Even if the younger ones are completely immune, what about the adults teaching them, and their interactions with one another? Closing the door on universities, while in the same breath, opening it for primary and secondary schools is totally irrational; it defies logic. By the way, who are the “experts” advising the President to embark upon this haphazard decision-making?

Lest anyone be in doubt, it is my considered view that graduating university students ought to be allowed to return to write their exams and submit their projects as a matter of priority. This takes no more than two weeks. And, it dovetails the relaxation of inter-state travel anyway. The remaining students should also be allowed to write their final year or end of semester exams in a staggered “zoom in and zoom out” fashion. The whole exercise could be completed within six weeks (See; “Reopening Nigeria: Logistical nightmare for schools”, The PUNCH, May 5, 2020). As things stand, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Nigeria Union of Teachers, and Nigerian Medical Association are all opposed to any reopening of schools. “We can’t resume, we don’t want to die, teachers tell FG”, according to a news headline. The head of the NMA, Professor Innocent Ujah, issued a press statement denouncing the reopening of schools due to “the current low level of compliance by Nigerians with COVID-19 safety protocols”. The ASUU president has accused the Federal Government of “experimenting with the lives of poor Nigerians” by the announcement. While one should not rush to raise doubts about the sincerity of their sentiments, they are, nonetheless, self-serving. ASUU, in particular, is not a representative body of all academic staff in Nigeria. Private universities are not represented by the organisation, and their voice is not being heard in any of this.

Moreover, private universities are run under completely different ethos and work ethics, with more care and attention paid to the welfare of their students, far greater than one could imagine in government-run universities. As a matter of fact, the facilities available inside some of Nigeria’s highly regarded private universities are a joy to behold. A vision in motion, some might say, and for good reasons. They offer a home away from home atmosphere, which the students, their parents and sponsors cherish a lot. Furthermore, they not only offer serene study environments, they also grow and consume their own nutrition-laden organic farm produce. The medical facilities they provide compare well with the best on offer anywhere in the world. The safety measures put in place inside these universities since the outbreak of the pandemic are impressive; they are as good as one sees in more advanced countries. It is even arguable that a good number of the country’s private universities are safer for students than their respective locations at the moment, where they are variously exposed to open and uncontrolled environments. Consequently, the one-size-fits-all approach of the government to the reopening of schools is not only misconceived, it is also patently wrong.

The main reason why ASUU objects to a phased reopening of publically-funded schools is their ongoing negotiations with the Federal Government over pay and conditions. It does not make good sense to resume academic work when they could be immediately faced with a strike action. Let us remember that private universities are not party to ASUU’s parley with the government, but they are effectively being held to ransom with the union’s blanket opposition to reopening of universities. ASUU’s leadership ought to make clear in their pronouncements that they are speaking for publicly-funded universities only. It is not entirely their fault though. Since private universities are loathe to union activities, so, their academic staff have no platform to speak from. This points to a dilemma. On the one hand, private universities are not represented by any union, so, when ASUU (supposedly a union of “universities”) speaks, it conveys the erroneous impression that they do so on behalf of all Nigerian universities. On the other hand, creating a unionised regime in private universities reflecting ASUU’s way of life, and modus operandi, would fundamentally alter the character and essence of private universities in Nigeria. It would soon become a race to the bottom for all of them (public and private); a highly retrogressive step that would be. Consequently, in the absence of a union platform to speak from, the Association of Vice Chancellors of Private Universities in Nigeria should step up to the plate, and speak up for their universities on these occasions. They ought to call a press conference, issue a statement drawing attention to the anomalies in the government’s position, and advance their own cause or, someone else will do it for them, as it happens.

Finally, let us be blunt about this. Unlike publicly-funded universities, private universities are not just academic institutions, they are also businesses whose books must be balanced. They do not have the luxury of a government bailout come rain or shine. As things stand, with the continuing lockdown, ASUU is secured in the knowledge that their members’ salaries and pensions are fire-proof; taken from source, straight from our commonwealth. This remains so in perpetuity. No such guarantee exists for private institutions who must either sink or swim in the market place. I do not think the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), is being well briefed on this. Coronavirus is not a disease due to go away in the near future, on a specified date and time. It is a public health crisis we, in Nigeria, have to live with and manage (emphasise, manage), just like the rest of the world. It is not something we can simply wish away. If universities were to close until the coast is clear, then, we would be here for years not months. Publicly-funded universities may not yet have the facilities and resources to manage their environment against the coronavirus, but it is a world of difference in most privately-funded universities. They are better equipped to manage and contain the spread of the virus in their own terrain. The Federal Government cannot simply shut its eyes, and close its mind to this. Public policy must be guided by reason, not pandering to vested interests.