Doctors under the aegis of the Nigeria Medical Association have kicked against the directive of the Federal Government that public and private primary and secondary schools should resume for the 2014/2015 academic session on September 22.
Stating its position on Tuesday, the NMA said the resumption date was rather hasty in the face of the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria.
It said resumption should not have been earlier than December or early next year.
The National Publicity Secretary of the NMA, Dr. Olawunmi Layaki, said the Federal Government should have given enough room for all Ebola suspects under surveillance to be cleared and certified free of the virus before schools resume.
Layaki said: “We are not happy with this decision on the resumption of schools.
“Schools should be shut till the last suspected case or patient is certified free of the virus.
“We can shift the resumption date till next year or in the next three months if that is the time it will take.”
Before the announcement of the new resumption date, government had earlier said schools would not resume earlier than October 15.
It said if need be, it would remain shut longer than that.
The new resumption date, many believe, was orchestrated by private schools owners.
This development, the NMA said, does not augur well for the country.
Layaki said the government had not followed the standard procedure for the containment of the EVD in announcing the date of resumption for schools.
He added: “Government should have enough time to follow the standard procedure for containing the virus.
“Parents have no reason to be in a hurry because if Ebola should enter any school, it will assume another dimension.
“Children cannot survive isolation like adults.
“Nigeria is peculiar because of her large population and we should be pragmatic and proactive.
“It will not augur well for the country if we have another outbreak due to carelessness.”