COVID-19: Low Turnout, Challenges As Schools Resume In FCT

–Authorities Complain Of Compliance Burden, Seek Increase In Fees

Schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are recording a low turnout of pupils and students as schools resume across the country in compliance with the directive of the Federal Ministry of Education and the Presidential Task Force on COVID -19 pandemic.

Privates schools in particular witnessed a low turn in the first three days of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.

THE WHISTLER earlier reported that the Minister of the FCT, Malam Muhammad Bello, had directed “all schools within the Federal Capital Territory to re-open for the first term of the 2020/2021 academic session on Monday, 12th of October 2020.”

Bello stressed that the directive was based on consultations with relevant stakeholders, vis-a-vis the public health advisory on Covid-19.

“The decision to reopen the schools was taken based on the directive from the Federal Ministry of Education that states should work out modalities for the safe re-opening of schools and after pain staking consultations with various stakeholder groups in the education sector,” the FCT Administration had stated.

Our correspondent visited the Great Seed Academy, Revival Academy Nursery and Primary School and the Light of Day School, all situated within Kubwa, Abuja.

The three schools had tools for washing of hands positioned at their entrances and a “no face mask, no entry” signpost.

A teacher at Great Seed Academy, Kubwa Pipeline, Miss Mercy Adachi, told THE WHISTLER that its pupils were yet to fully resume because their parents wanted them to delay resumption till next week.

Our correspondent also observed empty classes within the school environment, though most of the pupils wore face masks.

“All our students have not fully resumed because some parents said they want their children to stay at home throughout this week before resuming next week.

“We ensure social distancing in the classes while pupils must put on their face masks.

“For now, we don’t have any challenges, maybe, when they resume fully, we will know,” she said.

One of the teachers in the school also explained that the face masks were choking some of the pupils so they asked them to put them in their bags while observing social distancing.

On his part, the Head Teacher, Revival Academy, Mr. Omilieri Kehinde, told our correspondent that “our pupils have not fully resumed because the resumption caught them unawares.”

Even though Kehinde said they were complying with the Covid-19 health protocols, our correspondent noticed that while interacting with him, some teachers hurriedly told their pupils to wear their face masks.

Some of the classes had about 6 pupils while some had about 12.

At Light of Day School, the Principal,Mrs. S.O. David, also complained about poor resumption of its students.

Meanwhile, she did not allow our correspondent to look into the classes where the students were.

She also raised concern about the financial burden the school is bearing due to the Covid-19 health measures.

“They’ve not fully resumed; some of them travelled, there is a family that said till next year.

“The sitting arrangement is in line with social distancing but you know, the children are wonderful.

“There ought to be increase in school fees because social distancing means more teachers and the facilities needed to be increased but we just dropped the fees a bit,” she added.

Meanwhile, an opinion poll conducted by THE WHISTLER on Twitter (October 8 ) showed that most parents were sceptical about allowing their wards resume immediately.

Asked if they would agree their children in Nursery school to resume on the 12th of October, 52% stated ‘Yes’, 32% maintained ‘No’ while 16% where ‘Indifferent’.