Resumption Of Classes: Some Schools In Awka Record Low Turnout Of Pupils, Students

Secondary and primary School classrooms in Awka and environs were yesterday not as fully occupied as expected on a Monday morning, despite an earlier directive from the government that schools should resume yesterday.

Anambra State Ministry of Basic Education, had, in an official statement, directed that all public and private schools should resume today  eighteenth February 2019 and close Friday twenty-second February 2019, while schools will again resume again on Monday twenty-fifth February, 2019, to close On Friday eighth March 2019 and resume  on Monday eleventh March 2019. 

Correspondent, Daniel Ezeigwe monitored the situation around the Awka capital territory, and  reports that  at some of the schools visited including Igwebuike Grammar School, Girls’ Secondary School, Amenyi, Kenneth Dike Memorial Secondary School and Ikwodiaku Primary School, all in Awka, the classrooms had an unusually low presence of students and pupils.

Though teachers and other staff of the schools responded significantly, the Principal of Igwebuike Grammar School, Doctor Uche Anaekeokwu, said the school had used various media to ensure the message reached the parents of students, including making the announcement at places of worship.  

In their various responses, Mrs Ngozi Okonkwo, who is the Principal of Kenneth Dike Memorial Secondary School, Awka, Lady Wini Ibezim, the Principal of Girls’ Secondary School, Awka, and Mrs. Lucy Nweke, the Headmistress of Ikwodiaku Primary School, Amikwo Awka, said the turnout did not affect academic activities in their schools, including scheduled tutorials, timetables and examinations.

Reacting to the development, the Chairman, Anambra State Universal Basic Education Board, Chief Patrick Ugbaja, said the board on receiving the directive to resume today, had reached out to various local government education secretaries who would pass the information to head teachers under their supervision. 

He blamed the low turnout of the students on laxity, and said the board has initiated close and effective monitoring to ensure that such reports do not become a culture.

The Chairman of the Post Primary Schools Service Commission, PPSC, Mrs. Ifeoma Okaro in her reaction advocated other strategic approaches and noted that proper implementation of regulations already on ground would go a long way to curbing mass absence of students from schools after vacations.