The Nigeria Union of Teachers on Monday shunned a meeting called by the House of Representatives Committee on Education to resolve the impasse over the September 22 date for the resumption of schools nationwide.
The NUT, which would meet on Tuesday (today) to take a final decision on whether to proceed on a strike over the resumption date or not, did not provide any reason to the committee on why it was absent from the meeting.
Last week, the union vowed that it would not allow any of its members to teach until it was scientifically and medically proved that the country was out of the Ebola Virus Disease.
The union, through its President, Michael Alogba, had said, "We have written to tell them that if the Federal Government does not shift the date(September 22 and provide all necessary safety measures in schools before Monday next week (yesterday), all NUT leaders will meet in Abuja by 9am on Tuesday (today) to decide our fate by ourselves."
When contacted on the telephone on why the NUT stayed away from the meeting, Alogba said they were not invited.
"We were not informed. We were not invited. We only learnt of it after the minister left the said meeting. In fact, we suspected foul play. However, our meeting will hold as planned tomorrow(today) to discuss and decide which way forward," Alogba added.
The House had asked the committee to look into the matter following protests by Nigerians, particularly parents, the Nigerian Medical Association and the NUT over the Federal Government's decision to change its earlier resumption date from October 13 to September 22.
The meeting was however attended by the Minister of Education, Ibrahim Shekarau, the NMA and the All Nigerian Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools.
During the meeting, the NMA soft-pedalled on its earlier position date, pupils could return to their classrooms so long as government at all levels, school authorities and other stakeholders would provide and apply measures to prevent further spread of the EVD in the country.
It said after reviewing the "remarkable" efforts of the Federal, Lagos, Rivers and Enugu state governments to contain the "recent importation of EVD from Liberia," there was no point keeping pupils at home any further than September 22.
The NMA President, Kayode Obembe, called for "informed and reasonably eternal vigilance over the matter," rather than acting based on rumours, lies and ignorance.''
The NMA enjoined the international and port health services to be on the "highest level of vigilance and preparedness to screen all entrants into the country for fever as well as for countries of entry or recent travels before coming to the country."
It called for the resuscitation of infectious disease hospitals in all the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory to make "them to be able to take care of any viral haemorrhagic fever and other medical infectious disease emergencies."
The NMA added that all border local government areas in the country must have their health services properly developed with a "medical officer of health and other health staff necessary for the level of epidemiological intelligence and surveillance for the prevention of re-entry of the disease into the country."
For the schools, the association advised the owners to "develop and implement proper school health services," including a sick bay.
The NMA promised its support to the government at all times to contain the EVD and further called on "state governments and/or the teaching hospitals to have a place where the EVD diagnosis or viral carriage can be made within 24 hours of any suspected case."
Explaining how the NMA arrived at its support for schools to resume on September 22, Obembe told the committee that the last EVD patient in the country was admitted on August 29 after the symptoms started on August 26.
He observed that the patient was discharged on September 9, while by September 16 (today), "all her contacts should have completed the 21-day mandatory quarantine period."
Obembe added, "Except we have new import cases from neighbouring countries or we have some of the contacts who evaded quarantine, then we may not have new cases of EVD.
"It makes scientific sense for schools to resume on September 22 as proposed by the Federal Government.
"All cases so far in the country had epidemiological link directly or indirectly with the index case (late Patrick Sawyer).
"Apart from this linkage in Lagos and Port Harcourt, there is no evidence of EVD transmission in the country."
Shekarau also defended government's position before the committee, denying that it acted under pressure from private school proprietors.
He explained that Ebola was a health matter, which required the advice of the Federal Ministry of Health before government could take any decisions.
The minister also stated that he met with all state Commissioners for Education and other stakeholders to deliberate thoroughly before deciding on September 22.
He said, "Not a single private school owner has put us under pressure. The highest authority on Ebola in the country is the Federal Ministry of Health.
"If the highest authority says that it is safe to re-open schools, what is the basis of insisting on October 13?
"What if by October 13, the situation has not changed, are we going to say the schools should remain closed?"
The ANCOPSS backed the minister's position on the condition that "necessary health measures must be put in place in all the schools."
Such measures are improving the sanitary conditions of the schools, providing water and soap for regular hand-washing by pupils, ensuring general cleanliness and engaging personnel knowledgeable in handling Ebola cases.
The Chairman of the committee, Aminu Suleiman, had told the session that the House waded in the matter after it received a series of complaints from Nigerians.
He added that the committee would report its findings to the House to decide on whether schools should resume on September 22 or on another date.
Suleiman said, "We truly got worried after the NUT and the NMA also joined the protest. We are persuaded by what appears to be an objective and professional position now taken by the NMA.
"It has become clear that the NMA is no longer against the proposed date of school resumption. We will report our findings back to the House."
PUNCH
