Opinion| Lagos State Directive on Schools Reopening and 2020 WASSCE: A Contradiction?

By Benson Ogundipe

On the 5th July, 2020 during the 16th press briefing of the Lagos State Government on the COVID-19 pandemic, the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, announced the gradual reopening of schools in the state.

Sanwo-Olu stated that effective from August 3, 2020, schools would gradually reopen with students in SS3 and TEC3 to allow them prepare for their final examinations.

During the briefing, the governor specifically announced that the reopening only related to day schools and that boarding activities are excluded. The LSG in coming to this conclusion might have been thinking of how to minimise the likelihood of spread of the virus due to schools reopening.

On Monday 6th July, 2020, at the press briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, the Honourable Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, announced that the West African Senior School Certificate Examination will be taking place between August 4 and September 5, 2020. Also on Tuesday 7th July, 2020, the Nigeria National Office of WASSCE, at a press briefing confirmed the date for the examination.

Looking at these pronouncements from the state and federal governments, there seems to be an oversight in the policy pronouncements on how to ensure a hitch-free examination. Worthy of note is the pronouncement of Lagos State Government in respect of boarding activities. By this, is the Lagos State Governor technically excluding boarding students from writing the WASSCE?

Lagos State itself has schools that are solely boarding schools with students across the 20 local governments and beyond. Likewise some private schools are purely boarding schools with students from all over the country and even from overseas. How will this category of students participate in the examination if board facilities are shutdown?

How feasible is it for boarding students to come from home to write the examination without contracting the virus? Majority of them live far away from their various schools; some may have to travel interstate, while for some intrastate travel time will be stressful.

Imagine a student who resides in Ikorodu and attends a model school in Kankon Badagry. Moving from Ikorodu to Badagry every day to write examination will be killing and defeatist.

It is pertinent that the attention of Lagos State Government is called to this policy contradiction to ensure necessary steps are in place to ensure that all students who are qualified to write the 2020 WASSCE are not denied that opportunity.

The government should put in place protocols for boarding schools to ensure that students’ health is not jeopardised while in the boarding facilities to write their examination.

Olufemi Benson Ogundipe ACA, is Assistant Bursar @ Kith & Kin Educational Schools, Ibeshe, Ikorodu Lagos.