Enugu parents advice government on curbing COVID-19 spread

A cross-section of Enugu State parents on Saturday advocated two shifts for academic activities in primary and secondary schools, reduce overcrowding and thus wide-scale transmission of COVID-19 within schools.

The parents made the recommendations in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria in Enugu.

They specifically recommended morning and afternoon sessions as a viable shift system.

Emmanuel Chike, an Enugu resident, said the resumption of schools on January 18 was a welcome development as the students had overstayed at home.

Chike suggested that morning and afternoon sessions should be created in all schools as it would enable both the pupils and students to observe all COVID-19 protocols successfully.

Another resident, Ada Ikejiobi, explained that the two sessions would reduce the population of the pupils and students in classrooms, thereby creating a more conducive environment for learning in spite of the pandemic.

Ikejiobi said: “When pupils and students are reduced in number in schools, their numbers in classrooms will also be reduced, therefore maintaining physical or social distancing will not be difficult.

“Orderliness in every activity in the school will also be maintained.”

Eugene Onyema, another resident, recommended that Nursery to Primary 3 pupils should be allowed to attend classes in the morning, while Primary 4 to 6 pupils should attend the afternoon session.

“The secondary schools should also follow the same system, Junior Secondary School (JSS 1-3) to attend classes in the morning, while the Senior Secondary Schools (SSS1-3) attend theirs in the afternoon,” Onyema said.

Henry Ugochukwu noted that the reason for the recommendation was to have a successful academic year in 2021 in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ugochukwu said: “I think the morning and afternoon sessions in schools was being practiced in the 1970s and 1980s, in some states in Nigeria, and it was a success because academic performances among students were high.

“As we enter the second phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, I suggest that the government creates two sessions for our children’s academic success.”

NAN.