EHIME ALEX, Lagos
As the Federal Government settled on a decision to reopen schools on August 4, the Jeunesse Youth Empowerment Initiative (JYE Initiative) has, however, called on the Federal Ministry of Education to take a holistic approach to ensure inclusiveness, accountability and transparency in managing the nation’s education sector amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a statement issued in Lagos and signed by its Team Lead, Mr Ridwan Sulaimon, the organization made the call, however commended the efforts of the ministry.
JYE Initiative said: “While the decision to reopen schools for exist classes is commendable, it raises pertinent questions and poses some other challenges for the education sector generally. Therefore, the Ministry should not only communicate its decisions, but also proactively provide rationale for such decisions and the plan to cushion the effects of the decision in other areas of the sector. This will enable better feedback process and effective planning by all stakeholders.
“Although we appreciate the fact that delaying SSCE for instance till another year may impact negatively on the results as such exam which covers virtually everything learnt in secondary school is better written when the knowledge is still fresh. However, with the daily reported cases of COVID-19, students who have lost about half a session already may end up losing another half, thus implying that they may end up remaining in their current class after a year, while those in the exit classes would have moved up in the ladder.
“Therefore we urge the FME to address the following questions in its subsequent communications: What are the plans to balance the system such that if the students in exit classes write SSCE or similar examinations, what will be the implication for JAMB and the universities who will have to deal with double number of admission seekers as those who wrote the UTME for this year may have to be merged in the admission process with the current SSCE students who will write UTME next year? If we have two sets of students in the admission process when the tertiary institutions already do not have the capacity to fully absorb a set, how do we deal with the existing corruption that this tough race will further trigger in the admission process?
“How would the Ministry address the issue of vacant SSS3 classes when the SS2 counterparts did not promote? Is there a plan for mass promotion or rushing to finish the remaining scheme of work for the session across boards and what will be the implication of such for a country with falling standards of education? Is the Ministry planning to redesign the schools calendar to accommodate these gaps? What are the specific safety protocols that will be put in place to prevent the spread of the virus among students, teachers, examiners and parents?”
The organization noted that while it is understandable that the COVID-19 context makes everything unstable, it is expected of the government to be proactive with its plans, endeavour such plans are communicated to stakeholders to act accordingly.
It said, “The idea of announcing a decision in a military-fiat style regardless of whose ox is gored and without considerations for affected stakeholders should not be an approach of a civilian government”.
The organization also said, “The education sector needs to be approached holistically during this critical time and there is no easy way out. Government should not be found addressing problems only as it comes without putting the whole sector and the bigger picture in perspectives. Transparency, accountability and inclusiveness especially during this pandemic situation is more in the interest of the duty bearers as it helps to build the needed trust among the right bearers and other stakeholders. It also enables effective feedback processes that would aid the government in solving problems. To successfully manage the education sector through this pandemic without creating another crisis post COVID-19, the FME needs to be more forthcoming with transparency, accountability and inclusiveness.”
JYE Initiative is also calling on the education ministry to proactively disclose through its website, press releases and social media platforms, its financial details during the pandemic including but not limited to: “Details of all the financial and material resources received and or expended by the FME towards managing the education sector during the COVID-19 pandemic; the amount of funding and resources received and or expended for the development and implementation of the “Nigeria Education Sector COVID-19 Response Strategy,” the “National COVID-19 Education Response Centre”, the “Ministerial Task Team,” e-learning activities, teachers’ training, conferences and all other activities of the Ministry aimed at responding to COVID 19 pandemic in the education sector; the details of beneficiaries reached by the Ministry’s alternative or continuous learning activities such as e-learning including the number of schools, students, teachers, parents and pupils directly reached and estimates of those indirectly reached as well as other relevant details of the beneficiaries.”
It said such proactive disclosures and accountability would help the Ministry to build the needed trust at this time.
The organization added that it is shameful for academic activities to remain halted in the nation’s public tertiary institutions due to COVID-19; that just like various other countries, including in Africa, the level of technological advancement globally is sufficient for serious governments to be able to sustain learning even without physical contacts between students and teachers.
JYE Initiative thus calls on the federal and states governments, education minstry and other education stakeholders to use the lesson of the COVID-19 pandemic to radically invest in technological infrastructure in the educational sector, those that would facilitate continuous learning at all times to all students across board regardless of the social class, status, geographical location or disability, noting that, “It is possible if the government is willing.”
