There is anxiety on campuses over plans to close down schools ahead of the forthcoming presidential poll, CHARLES ABAHwrites.
Although stakeholders converged on Abuja on Monday to discuss the desirability or otherwise of closing schools due to the forthcoming elections, the President, National Association of Nigerian Students, Tijani Usman, considers the subject matter a no-go area.
The NANS President says, “I do not support the idea of closing schools because of the forthcoming elections. There are many outstanding things to do in the nation’s tertiary institutions. Many universities have yet to cover their programmes as a result of the industrial action by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities in 2013. Many schools are still running the 2013/2014 academic session in 2015 and if the authorities decide to close down these institutions, the decision will no doubt compound the woes of the students.
“For instance, many of the polytechnics are still running the 2013 calendar because the strike by their teachers lasted for over nine months. The same scenario obtains in the colleges of education. Many students missed going for the National Youth Corps Service scheme last year and if the authorities hurriedly close the schools yet again, there is likelihood that many more prospective corps members will be stranded.
Usman further argues that many students registered and obtained their voter cards on campus and forcing their schools to close would mean disenfranchising them.
“At ABU, Zaria, there are many polling booths. So, what happens to the centres if students are forced to leave the campus?” he asks.
Even as NANS President holds this view, the authorities of the Yaba College of Technology have already announced the planned closing of the premier tertiary institution in the country because of the elections.
A statement by the Head, Public Relations Unit of the college, Mr Charles Oni, said the holiday would start from February 11 and end on March 4.
But Usman says that the decision is not the best option for the students. The school, alongside other polytechnics in the country, he explains, has yet to cover the academic work of the 2014 session. Instead of sending students on forced vacation, he notes, there is the need to sensitise them properly so that desperate politicians would not use them as cannon fodder for violence and rigging.
He adds, “Do you still remember that between October 2013 and July 2014, teachers in the nation’s polytechnics were on strike because they were protesting against the poor funding of the sector and the review of the Polytechnics Act, among other things? Even as we speak, they have yet to resolve finally the issues with the Federal Government.
“By the way, it is one thing to announce the closure of the schools, do you have an idea when they will resume, especially if there is post-election violence like we had it in 2011? I therefore suggest that the Federal Government and other relevant authorities should not give in to that reasoning.”
The NANS leader is not alone. The association’s Chairman in Lagos State, Sanusi Sulaimon, agrees with him that the plan is not convenient just as he notes that it does not make economic and political sense.
According to him, contemplating it automatically means disenfranchising hundreds of eligible student voters from exercising their political rights.
Sulaimon argues, “I see no reason why schools should be closed when they were not closed during registration of voters. Many students obtained their voter cards on campus, so if you deny them their voting rights now, does it make any sense? Why then did you allow them to obtain the cards in the first place? What we are currently doing is to sensitise our colleagues to shun politicians who are making promises that they will not keep. That is what I think the authorities should be canvassing. ”
Ibikunle
The Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, SUG President, Isaac Ibikunle, looks at the issue from another perspective. While he does not consent to the closing of the university, he holds the view that schools in crisis-prone areas, such as Yobe, Borno and Adamawa states, should have their gates closed within the period.
The final year Law student declares, “The whole thing depends on the location of the school. Why would you close OAU when there is no threat to life and property on campus? We are not envisaging any crisis here.
“Closing the school will result in many students not exercising their voting rights. Apart from that, we are in 2015 but still operating the 2013/2014 academic session that would have ended last September. You know the ASUU strike and the hike in tuition in the school brought about a setback in our calendar. Therefore, the authorities should not compound our problems with another closure.”
For the University of Benin SUG President, Ifidon Ikhide, the idea has both the positive and negative dimensions. In his thinking, closing schools will negatively affect the students.
Ikhide
According to the final year Chemical Engineering student, the UNIBEN calendar for the 2015 session released earlier in the year by the Senate of the university did not make provisions for the election break.
Ikhide explains, “The import is that if the school closes for three weeks, the calendar will still be running. This will affect the students, as there will be no extension of lectures and shifting of examination dates. The bigger implication is that students will be at the receiving end of the action.
“On the other hand, if schools are shut, it will help to keep us away from being used by politicians to cause any political unrest.”
From his base in the Federal College of Education, Yola, Adamawa State, where the Boko Haram threat is real, the college SUG President, Joshua David, does not support the closure.
David, who says the college is already lagging behind due to the strike by the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union, last year, notes that the situation is worse in other schools in the state.
David
He notes that many students whose schools closed in 2014 because of the activities of the Boko Haram have now resorted to seeking fresh admissions to other schools. According to him, many of them will be writing the forthcoming Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination next month.
The student leader adds, “The envisaged violence is merely an assumption. I do not believe that rioting and shedding of blood will accompany the elections. Nevertheless, this does not suggest that all is well in all the schools.
“As I speak, normalcy has yet to return to four tertiary institutions in the state. The Federal Polytechnic, Mubi; Adamawa State University, Mubi; College of Education, Hong, and the School of Health, Mubi, have had their gates shut since last year due to the Boko Haram insurgency and the Federal Government is not saying anything about the closure.
Besides anxiety arising from the forthcoming polls, they also argue that this is the time to know the education blueprint of the parties concerning education.
According to Sulaimon, the two leading parties – the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress – should tell stakeholders about their roadmap and manifestoes for the sector.
The final year Metal Work student of the Federal College of Education (Technical) Akoka notes that the hearts of the students will be with the party that will not just increase funding for the sector but also bring about a greater change in education.
He adds, “I do not want to sound partisan, but I will be interested in voting for a presidential candidate and party that offer a good blueprint for education. If during military regimes undergraduates enjoyed free meal once a day, why can we not have a better offer in a democratic era? So we are going round to sensitise our colleagues on this.”
The UNIBEN student leader toes the same line, noting that even last Friday, they organised a seminar where the DVC (Academic) Prof. Abiodun Falodun, among others, advised them to shun electoral malpractice and politicians that would want to use them for violence and rigging.
Like MyPortalNg on Facebook!
