Kano flays decision to open schools during polls

CITING insensitivity to safety and volatile nature of elections period, Kano State Government has kicked against Federal Government’s decision that schools including public and private, across the country should remain open through out election period.

    Besides, the National Association of proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) insisted that private schools might not be able to convey Federal Government’s confidence and decision to parents of our students during this election.

    Education Minister Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau had directed all public and private schools in the country to remain open for academic activities during elections.

   The minister said, “At the end of deliberations with commissioners of education from all the 36 states of the federation and FCT and the management of National Universities Commission, the National Board for Technical Education, National Commission for Colleges of Education and all other stakeholders in education after due consultation and deliberations in respect of whether or not schools should close for the period of the election, we resolved that all schools and institutions should remain in session while elections take place over the weekends as stipulated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) time table.

     “No school should release their children on the claim of any threats, as far as we are concerned, elections will be conducted safely without any challenges. Our decision affects every institution in Nigeria, children in the private schools are as good as the children in the public schools and the concern to cover syllabuses. This decision affects both public and private schools.”

    Shekarau also directed all schools in the country not to embark on mid-term breaks during the period noting that Federal Government would not fail to penalize any school that fails to comply with the directive.

    However, Chairman, Kano State Taskforce on Private Schools, Alhaji Baba Abubakar Umar insisted that Federal Government has no authority to enforce directive on states-owned and private schools: whether or not to close the schools.

    Baba Umar posited that considering the fact that most of the schools particularly the boarding schools, and the volatility of election period, that Federal Government instruction was not “rational.”

“I don’t think the minister is considering the security atmosphere during elections in this country before taken the decision. And for the fact that the minister is an experienced educationist, I think he shouldn’t have taken that decision. Election time is critical and crucial particularly in Kano. You cannot mix two things together, elections and education of our children. The government is now saying our children should remain in schools where elections will be conducted. I don’t think this is logical and it should be discouraged,” Baba maintained.

    On whether Kano will shut public schools, Baba assured that the state government will not hesitate to close the schools soon for the safety of children.

President of NAPPS in Kano, Dr. Jubirila Muhammed expressed regrets that Federal Government instruction was belated since many parents in Kano had withdrawn their wards schools already due to fear of violence during the poll.

Dr. Jubirila reminded that school owners have no power to prevent parents from withdrawing their children from schools, particularly as it concerns their safety.

 Dr. Jubirila said further “We really appreciate the decision of Federal Government considering the security situation in the country. The decision is to diffuse panic and tension in the country and if you still take that decision to close schools it may generate needless tension but let me say the decision is coming very late.

    “Already parents in Kano are withdrawing their children from schools particularly those schools that are populated by non-indigenes. These schools as I speak are very scanty.

    “Our thinking is that it is a good decision but it should have been taken long time ago. And the issues of provision of security by government I think we cannot rely on that because we have had it in the pass where government promised to provide security and you hardly see anybody. They cannot guarantee they will provide security for all the schools here in Kano,” Jubirila revealed.

BARELY two weeks to the general election a case against the Kano state government on how the statutory allocation of the 44 local governments in the state is still hanging on the neck of the state government, as the case was adjourned for Thursday 5th February.

  The governor of Kano state Engineer Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso a co-defendants along with the Attorney General of the state, Kano State House of Assembly, Attorney General of the Federation, among others were dragged to the Federal High Court Kano over the local governments’ statutory allocation within the period of June 2011 to May 2014, that amounted to N255b.

 When the case came up on 3rd February for mention the presiding Judge Justice Fatuhu Ruman adjourned the sitting for next tomorrow Thursday 5th February to hear the application filed by the counsel to the Attorney-General of the Federation, challenging the process on how the applicant served his client.

  Part of the prayers of the counsel to the plaintiff Barrister Mustapha Danjuma sought that if the issues raised by the plaintiffs regarding the constitutional provision in the area of statutory federal allocation to local governments were positive, that they were seeking for a “..declaration that the 1st and 2nd Defendants are entitled to make any deduction whatsoever from the “State Joint Local Government Account” other than to distribute the amount to the 7th to 50th Defendants…,” among others.

  The plaintiff made the prayer in accordance with Section 162(6) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), that the 1st Defendant and 2nd Defendant can unilaterally take over responsibility of the local governments, of utilization and benefits of the “State Joint Local Government Account” funds in any way or manner whatsoever other than to distribute the amount to the 44 local governments in the state.