The agitation if the Nigerian Medical Association for the primary and secondary schools in Nigeria to still remain closed because of the outbreak of ebola till October or at best early part of next year is not borne out of professionalism or patriotism. It would be recalled that the doctors were on strike when this virus was first discovered in Nigeria and it was not through their efforts or contribution that it was contained to the level it was before they called off their strike. Their current show of concern to the medical plights of the citizenry is to me a suspect.Many people have argued that if the doctors were not on strike at the initial stage of this outbreak that the situation would not have been managed well the way the other health workers did. They cited the situation in Port Harcourt as an example. What l think that is happening now is motivated by politics and envy and never the doctors show of concern for national health.It is political because there is a total disruption of schools in the North Eastern part of Nigeria because of the problems of boko haram. Some elements in the NMA may want to slow down the academic pace of the Southerners. And one cannot rule out the envy of the doctors whose absence did not make an set back in the containment of this deadly virus . If the doctors are counselling against the commencement of the resumption on the 22nd of September based on the fear that once this disease enters school it will have a devastating impact and might become uncontrollable what about market places, what about churches and the commercial buses?How many of the cases have been recorded as a contact made on the bus or the other mentioned places. Was it not the greed of a doctor that has led to the escalation of the disease in portharcourt . l submit that if the resumption of schools is shifted again it will have a very negative impact in the academic calendar of the country.Election will be conducted early next year and many parents are afraid of what the outcome of the election might be. Many of them are even threatening to withdraw their children from schools immediately after this term to safer places until after the second term. If the resumption is delayed further than expected date, this will in no small way jeopardise the future of the children. After all in those worst affected countries like Liberia and Guinea, children still go to schools. The World Health Organisation counselled that schools should not close because of Ebola. What behoves the ministry of education to give all schools a guideline to safety measures to be adopted immediately schools reopened. Some of these measures l know many Private Schools have already started.
Posted on: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 11:07:10 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015