The president of National Association of Nigerian, Tijani Usman, has considered the idea of shutting down school during elections one that is absurd and unnecessary.
NANS President says, “I do not support the idea of closing schools because of the forthcoming elections. There are many outstanding things to do in the nation’s tertiary institutions.
Many universities have yet to cover their programmes as a result of the industrial action by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities in 2013.
Many schools are still running the 2013/2014 academic session in 2015 and if the authorities decide to close down these institutions, the decision will no doubt compound the woes of the students.
According to him, many students registered and obtained their voter cards on campus and forcing their schools to close would mean disenfranchising them.
“At ABU, Zaria, there are many polling booths. So, what happens to the centres if students are forced to leave the campus?” he asks.
The SUG President, University of Benin Commenting, “The import is that if the school closes for three weeks, the calendar will still be running. This will affect the students, as there will be no extension of lectures and shifting of examination dates. The bigger implication is that students will be at the receiving end of the action.
“On the other hand, if schools are shut, it will help to keep us away from being used by politicians to cause any political unrest.”
Also the SUG President Federal College of Education, Yola, Adamawa State, Joshua David does not support the idea.
According to him, the envisaged violence is merely an assumption. I do not believe that rioting and shedding of blood will accompany the elections. Nevertheless, this does not suggest that all is well in all the schools.
What is your own take on this? Should the schools be shut down?
