NEARLY six months after universities were shut nationwide as part of the measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus plague, plans to reopen them are enmeshed in a whiff of dissonance. On the one side, the government, students and some private university owners reason that with the falling rates in infections and the examples from other countries, these tertiary institutions are fit to resume. On the other hand, groups and the university labour unions, citing various impediments, oppose the resumption. Both blocs have raised vital points, but the goal remains the safe resumption of universities.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created “the largest disruption of education systems in history,” the United Nations says, but across the globe, universities are reopening with mixed results. The toll of the deadly virus is high and will continue to rise. But certainly, another serious crisis looms for students, higher education and the economy if universities cannot reopen their campuses in due course. In Nigeria, there is a cloud as to when tertiary education will join the rest of the world. As the steady easing of the coronavirus lockdown continued, the idea to reopen the universities gained traction, especially after secondary school pupils resumed for the terminal examinations. Some state governments have approved the total reopening of schools. The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 has also approved the phased reopening of schools.
Before then, the Academic Staff Union of Universities had, however, warned the Federal Government against resumption as canvassed by some stakeholders. ASUU hinged its opposition to immediate resumption on two pegs. One, its members have been on strike because of the wage dispute instigated by their enrolment on the Integrated Payroll Personnel Information System. Two, ASUU and its cohorts argue that public universities cannot reopen now because of the issue of inadequate infrastructure, which leads to overcrowding in the hostels and lecture theatres.
Truly, a succession of outbreaks in German schools and other countries suggests that there is still a lot to be known about transmission of the infection in schools and on campuses. The Federal Government should have used the lockdown period – more than five months – to negotiate with ASUU for an amicable solution. This means the system has lost almost a session, which it might not recover from considering that tertiary education had lost so much ground even before the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak over incessant ASUU strikes. As that window of opportunity has been wasted, no further time should be wasted on this dispute. Also, it has been proved that anyone can be infected by the terror virus. One of the safety protocols for the prevention of the virus is social distancing, but with the universities way beyond their carrying capacities, this is practically impossible. These institutions lack constant electricity, running water, sanitation facilities, well-ventilated halls and ability to test in good numbers, which are all integral to containing the spread of the virus.
All this leaves the proposal to reopen in jeopardy. Although COVID-19, a global phenomenon that gave scant warning before it emerged in December in China, has exposed its flaws, some of the other quandaries besetting university education in Nigeria are self-inflicted. There has been a pronounced crisis for decades. It is either ASUU is jostling for better wages and earned allowances, university autonomy or demanding better funding of the schools. Periodically, the government signs agreements with ASUU that it does not implement. In the 2013 instalment, the Federal Government ended a long-running strike to revitalise the system by agreeing to fund it with N200 billion annually until the N1.3 trillion shortfall has been liquidated.
As is usual with it, the government failed to implement the agreement. Instead, it is biting off more than it can chew by its outrageous policy to establish more universities. Thus, it (the Federal Government) should shoulder the blame of poor funding.
With the reopening controversy lingering, the rest of the world is leaving Nigeria behind. In fact, schools did not close for a day in Taiwan, Nicaragua and Sweden despite the virulent COVID-19 outbreak. Norway reopened its schools in April. A WHO tally said 20 countries had reopened schools in phases as of June with the strict enforcement of protocols on sanitation, hygiene and distancing. Germany welcomed back 7.15 million students at 563 schools since the COVID-19 outbreak in August.
The WHO and UNICEF called for the reopening of schools in Africa in August, arguing, “The unprecedented and prolonged school closures aimed at keeping students safe from COVID-19 are harming them in other ways.” The impact includes poor nutrition, stress, and increased exposure to violence, exploitation, childhood pregnancies, and overall challenges in mental development due to reduced interaction related to school closures. For girls, the risks are higher: those who are pregnant or are forced into early marriage might never return to school. A World Bank study has estimated that lifetime earning losses of $4,500 per child could result from school closures in sub-Saharan Africa.
Therefore, the government should prioritise the implementation of quick solutions against the spread of the virus so that schools can enjoy a healthy atmosphere after resumption. It does not really cost a fortune to enforce the wearing of facemasks/shields. Hand sanitisers and hand washing are crucial in these institutions, as well as running water. By these provisions, the first critical steps to resumption have been etched. Lecturers and students who are sick should not be in school because they are more vulnerable than others and could potentially cause damage. Furthermore, the final-year and first-year students can resume and conclude their semesters, after which the other levels can follow suit. This will enable social distancing and reduce the stress on infrastructure and manpower.
Ultimately, the Federal Government should audit its universities and stop establishing universities recklessly. By cutting waste, it should fund the revitalisation agreement it inked with ASUU and settle with the union for the adoption of transparent technology for the payment of salaries and wages.
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Here in the Philippines, the Commission on Higher Education has allowed the opening of classes nationwide. However, students have to curry the burden of having online classes. Personally, our online classes opened 2 weeks ago, and it is more challenging, and draining not just physically, mentally, but also financially. This new mode of education is already anti-poor and only for the privileged. That is why most students are demanding for academic freeze right now.