From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), has kicked against the decision of the Federal Government to shift the resumption date for schools.
NANS, though, agreed that there was need to mobilise the entire country to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, but the option of continous closure of schools was unacceptable to them.
NANS President, Sunday Asefon, in a statement released in Abuja, on Tuesday, said that rather than postpone schools’ resumption, measures should be put in the contain the community transmission of dreaded coronavirus in schools.
He said: “While COVID-19 is a global pandemic being addressed across different climes, the time has come for us in Nigeria to address this virus based on our peculiarities and limitations,” he suggested.
He challenged the Federal Government to quickly come to a place of understanding that the majority of Nigerians are living in unorganized environments and structures that are not helpful to curb the spread of the virus.
He suggested that Federal Government should rethink its approach and take only actions that would get more Nigerians into coordinated and regulated systems, like schools and offices, where hours of wearing face masks and complying with COVID-19 safety protocols can be guaranteed to curb the spread.
“As student representatives and stakeholders, we make bold to state that having students and lecturers in campuses that are regimented and regulated environment will help to raise consciousness and the bar of compliance with COVID-19 rules.
“Consequently, we are making plans to prevail on students union bodies to set up Students Task Force Against COVID-19 in every school, while government rejig its basic COVID-19 guide for school resumptions,” he said.
He insisted that school resumption would help the students, teachers, and lecturers to avoid social gatherings, regular travels while concentrating on the task of teaching and researching, which triggers the need to have a new alternative and approach to fighting the pandemic.
