As controversy rages over the desirability of reopened schools after 4 months lock down in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, stakeholders in the education sector have been urged to sustain continuous dialogue on how to protect the lives of students without jeopardizing learning processes.
The call was made by Comrade Issa Aremu, Vice President Industriall Global Union while addressing a group of students drawn from private and public schools in Kaduna on Saturday as part of 2020 occasion of this year’s International Nelson Mandela Day (MD).
About NMD
July 18th is the annual Nelson Mandela International Day ( NMD) as declared by the United Nations in November 2009. NMD honours and celebrates Nelson Mandela’s birthday which is July 18 for his selfless service to humanity, the only one to be so recognized. Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918 at Mvezo, Cape Province, Union of South Africa to the Thembu royal family. He was a revolutionary political leader democratically elected as the President of non-racist South Africa from 1994 to 1999, having struggled to dismantle apartheid based on white supremacy. He is also considered to be the father of modern democratic South Africa. The first UN Mandela Day was held on July 18, 2010.
The 18th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture was delivered on Saturday by United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the lecture was an online-only event, delivered at the UN headquarters in New York.
The labour leader said 2020 Mandela Day assumes a special importance because of Covid-19 pandemic which has infected 14 millions people and claimed 600,000 lives world wide adding that the lives of Nigeria should be of concern to all Stakeholders because of the pandemic that recorded 772 fatalities and has infected 35,000 people. He therefore called for a national partnership to stem the rising tide of the pandemic. According to him, notwithstanding the enormous challenges of limited resources and weak health structures, Nigeria’s response through the Presidential Task force on COVID:19 “has been remarkable” citing the performance of Lagos, Kaduna and Kwara States which he said have risen to contain the pandemic. “One of the commendable decisions of the Federal government is the the stay-at- home- order issued by the minister of education in March after due consultations with stakeholders and derived from empirical data from Nigeria’s COVID-19 Presidential Task Force (PTF). He however said after four months of closures, it was legitimate to have discussions on possible reopening of schools first for pupils and students in primary six, Junior Secondary School 3 and Senior Secondary School 3 to enable the pupils/students prepare for examinations to complete a phase of their education.
“What would have been Mandela’s reaction at times like this? Mandela would have called for global partnership and coalition against the pandemic as he rightly did against HIV/ AIDS. The current challenge is school reopening in Nigeria” he said.
South Africa is the epicenter of the pandemic in Africa with 4802 deaths and 400,000 infections. On Friday, the deceased daughter of the global icon and former SA ambassador Zindzi Mandela, who tested positive for COVID-19 before her death, was buried in South Africa.
International Nelson Mandela Day is not a public holiday but a day to highlight Mandela’s work fighting for social justice, in 67 years. The idea is that every individual has the power to transform the world and to make an impact. The objective is to inspire governments, individuals and organizations to take action to help change the world for the better, for at least 67 minutes in appreciation of the 67 years, 27 years of 67 years in imprisonment for fighting against apartheid and racism. Comrade Aremu called for an “Installation of hand-washing facilities, provision of equipment for body temperature checks, provision of personal protective equipments, body disinfectants at all entering points to their major facilities, including the gates, hostels, classes, offices, decontamination of the s hills premises and teaching facilities that ensure social/physical distancing in class sizes and meeting spaces among others.
“The most important advice is for all schools to encourage their students to maintain good hand and respiratory hygiene to remain safe.
School proprietors, headmasters, and head mistresses must ensure that students have access to clean water and soap at all times while on the school premises’. He said UNICEF, at the start of the lockdown for most countries in the world, suggested that students should be helped using a holistic approach to provide remote access learning. He however regretted that most schools in Nigeria were barely ready to provide such “luxury” for their studies . The high points of the celebration was the presentation of some personal protective materials to some select few students of private and public schools.
Hails new NLC/Labour Unity
Meanwhile, the frontline labour leader has commended the recent reconciliation between the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the United Labour Congress to close ranks of organized labour in Nigeria under what he called “a new indivisible one NLC,” following the rift after the controversial conduct of leadership election in the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) at the 10th National Delegates Conference in 2015 . “It’s gratifying that the leadership and structures of the United Labour Congress have been reintegrated into the Nigeria Labour Congress to the the satisfaction of both parties”. The point cannot be overstated about the importance of labour in the development of the nation. According to him “One united NLC is better off for the workers and the nation than a divided one”. “The new unity should be against worsening poverty, rising inflation, job losses and bad governance.” he advised.
United Organized Labour, Good for All
Comrade Aremu noted that Nigeria needs better united NLC to fight against corruption, to promote productivity and diversify the economy and enthrone social and physical security. “The challenge is for all industrial unions affiliated to NLC and TUC to work as comrades and not as class enemies for the interest of the working men and women.” he remarked.
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