Following the announcement by Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Lagos State, that schools in the state are expected to resume on Monday, September 21, 2020, different schools have begun to adopt different methods of getting their pupils back to school starting from Monday.
A cross section of school owners, parents who spoke with BDSUNDAY expressed divergent views about their next line of action as pertain to school resumption.
While majority of the school owners expressed readiness and desire to see their children back to school after so many months of closure occasioned by the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, others are of the view that they would extend their resumption date to ensure all safety protocols are completed.
Lai Koiki, chief executive officer, Greensprings School, said although the Lagos State government has announced September 21 as resumption date for schools, her students will first resume online by September 28, while the school will run a blended system of both virtual and on-site learning when schools finally reopen.
When asked what the school has put in place to ensure a safe physical resumption, Koiki said that Greensprings School will strictly follow the government’s reopening guidelines, adding that the school has also developed some internal policies to complement the government’s proposition.
“We have started working on ensuring our facilities, staff, and students adhere to the government’s guidelines on school reopening. Our classrooms have been remapped to allow social distancing of 2 meters from one seat to another. We have disinfected the classrooms and other areas in our school, and this will continue regularly,” she said.
According to her, “More hand-washing areas and sanitiser dispenser stations have been installed, and these have been done in all four campuses including Anthos House (our special needs school). As recommended in the guidelines, break time will be staggered, restrooms will be cleaned hourly, and our staff and students will wear a facemask at all times, except during the required outdoor mask-break period.”
On the hybrid learning system, Koiki stated that the school plans to have not more than half of its students’ population in physical attendance on school days. By this, some students will come to school twice a week, while some will come three times.
Students staying at home on a particular day will learn the same thing as those in school through the school’s online learning platforms, and this will ensure there are no learning gaps across all learning categories.
The school’s plan will also ensure that students who are members of the same family will be scheduled to be in school (on-site) on the same day, as well as have virtual classes on the same day. Provisions will also be made to continue virtual learning via the school’s online channels, for parents who do not want their children to resume physically for now.
A proprietress, who spoke to BDSUNDAY on condition of anonymity, said in preparation for school resumption, she has already put in place electronic sanitising machine, washing bucket with tap, soaps, temperature reading machine and have equally advised parents on their own part to be safety cautious prior to resumption.
“We have already fumigated the school premises. As long as we keep personal hygiene as we should, feed pupils with healthy food. I am 100 percent sure all will go well. We will stagger their play time,” she said.
The school administrator, however, observed that the elite parents are not comfortable sending their kids back to school now. Their kids are not affected by this pandemic like the average low income parents. Their online learning is 100 percent going, because they can afford whatever it takes.
“It’s tough though, but it’s worth it. Now that the Lagos State government has finally given the all clear for school resumption, we might as well move on with precautionary measures until maybe vaccine will show up hopefully,” she said.
Franka Osagie, another private school owner in Lagos told BDSUNDAY that beyond preparations for physical learning, the school has also invested heavily on virtual classes. She said the Covid-19-induced school closure has given her and the school management team the impetus to strengthen the push for blended learning to ensure that when pupils resume, they are well equipped to be engaged virtually.
Osagie further said that the school would adopt a phased reopening, so that not all students would come in at once in order to maintain social distancing.
“These processes take time and cost money but as far as preparation for school resumption is concerned, I am quite confident that now that government has officially asked schools to reopen, we are ready,” she said.
The educationist further observed that adopting new style of teaching and learning as part of the new normal as requested by Covid-19 clinical protocols has surely altered the old way of education as online teaching and learning has come to stay, not just in private, but also in public schools.
She noted that her school is fairly spacious in terms of students-intake and seating arrangements as the existing structures are enough to accommodate whatever safety protocol directive as prescribed by government.
Segun Ayo, principal, New Covenant School, Lagos said that the school was ready for resumption, expressing the fears about prompt payment of school fees. Ayo envisaged delay in payment of school fees, which he said could pose huge challenges to the smooth operation of the school post Covid-19, considering that the schools are private enterprise without any form of funding from government.
“After spending huge sums money and making the huge investment, ensuring that we meet all the Covid-19 safety measures put up by government in Lagos and payment of teachers, without school fees, there is no way we can function optimally,” Ayo said.
He said up to 50 percent of parents have resorted to part-payment as a result of the biting economic situation in the country.
According to him, “Before resumption, there are lots of things we have to do which we borrow money for; and the money is due for repayment immediately we resume.
“When parents delay in payment or fail to pay the fees of their children early enough, it affects the repayment of those loans. This action affects school owners because when salary is due and we don’t have money, we have to go and borrow and the interest rates are so exorbitant,” he said.
On their part, parents whose children attend private schools are not only worried about the safety of their children as school resumes, they are also losing sleep over how to pay the fees for their children to continue their academic activity in school.
Chijioke Amadi, a concerned parent, told BDSUNDAY that reopening of school after six months is one thing; another is the increased pressure on family budgets owing to the economic situation caused by Covid-19.
He said that his children schools have already forwarded their bills and that he had also worked out an arrangement with the managements for instalment payment plans.
Amadi however, wondered what would be the fate of many parents that may not have listening school managements to work out some arrangements.
He noted that aside from the fear of safety for his children, the worsening economic situation has made it difficult for him and a lot of parents to keep to pace with school fees payment given that there are other needs contending with a meagre funds at every given time.
Rosemary Ubong, a mother, said: “The major concern I have, which I think is the same fear many parents nurse, is how to get the children to observe what has become a sort of stereotype- don’t touch your face, your nose; don’t touch another person, maintain a distance and wash your hands regularly. Even if schools provide all the necessary things expected of them, enforcing compliance may be a little bit difficult.”
Ubong, who noted that children are highly asymptomatic and could contract Covid-19 from even teachers that use public transport, expressed the fear that parents at home may be in danger through the children. “The children that get infected in school may then expose their parents and other children that are highly vulnerable,” she said.
She expressed the opinion that it was still very unsafe to expose children either in public or private school, adding that both government and school owners need to be deliberate in the process of reopening school.
