Bolaji Abdullahi, former minister of youth and sports
development, has asked the federal government to find “creative ways to
manoeuvre around” the coronavirus pandemic so that Nigerian students can write
the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) this year.
The federal government has said students of its 104 schools
across the country will not participate in the yearly examination because of
the pandemic, urging states and private school owners to follow suit.
However, a number of states in southern Nigeria have
declared their intention to put measures in place and go on with the
examination, while other West African countries are also going ahead.
Abdullahi, who was also Kwara state commissioner for
education from 2003 to 2007, told TheCable that the federal government should
not foreclose the options before it.
“The best we can do is to find ways to keep life going even
in the midst of the pandemic and continue to find creative ways to manoeuvre
around it. It is what we are doing with the airlines. It is what we are doing
with the markets. It is what we are doing with sundry other sectors that we
have allowed to resume even as the pandemic rages still,” he explained.
He said the decision not to participate in the exams will
affect 1.5 million students this year, and this can get complicated if the
pandemic continues into next year, meaning the number of affected students will
double.
Abdullahi said: “The Federal Government is understandably
afraid of what could happen, God forbid, if it allows people’s children to
gather to write the SSCE examination in the midst of the raging pandemic of
COVID-19.
“When it comes to COVID-19, there is no easy answer, and
there will always be trade-off. Federal Government is therefore choosing to err
on the side of caution by asking children not to write the examinations.
“However, the easier or safer options are not necessarily
the best. The relative net consequences of all available options have to be
considered and weighed against one another. When we consider that this safe
option will mean that about 1.5 million children will be left hanging for one
year and by next year, this number will double, along with all the
implications, then we must force ourselves to think more deeply and begin to
consider even more difficult options. No one knows if this pandemic will end
next year, or even in the next five years. God forbid, but what happens if it
actually gets worse next year and the year after?”
Advising the government to be creative, he said there are
questions that the decision-makers should consider in arriving at a final
decision.
“Can we get the exact number of students eligible to write
WASC examination this year? Can we study their spread across the country? What
logistics challenge does each location present in terms of COVID-19 safety
measures? How long does it normally take to write the examination? Do we need
to stretch it out longer to allow fewer number of candidates into the
examination hall at one time? Can we set up minimum safety requirements that
each centre must meet if it must serve as an examination centre? Do we need to
request for a postponement for another month or so to enable us put all these
measures in place?” he asked.
“Even the south-west states would value the lives of the
children more than they value education. Same with other countries in the WAEC
arrangement. Why then, are they insisting on proceeding with the examinations?
Are there things we can learn from them in rolling out a nationwide plan? The
decision not to write the examination is an option. But we need to consider
other options as well and chose what is best for the children rather than what
we consider most convenient for everyone.”
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