Enugu parents canvass two shifts system in schools to forestall COVID-19 spread

A cross-section of Enugu parents, on Saturday, advocated two shifts for academic activities in primary and secondary schools, reduce overcrowding and thus wide-scale transmission of COVID-19 within schools.

The parents, who made the recommendations in separate interviews with our Correspondent in Enugu, specifically recommended morning and afternoon sessions as a viable shift system.

Mr Emmanuel Chike, an Enugu resident, said that the resumption of schools on Jan. 18 was a welcome development as the students had over stayed at home.

Chike suggested that morning and afternoon sessions should be created in all schools, as it would enable both the pupils and students to observe all COVID-19 protocols successfully.

Another resident, Mrs Ada Ikejiobi, explained that the two sessions would reduce the population of the pupils and students in classrooms, thereby creating a more conducive environment for learning, in spite of the pandemic.

“When pupils and students are reduced in number in schools, their numbers in classrooms will also be reduced, therefore maintaining physical or social distancing will not be difficult.

“Orderliness in every activity in the school will also be maintained,” Ikejiobi said.

Mr Eugene Onyema, another resident, recommended that Nursery to primary three pupils should be allowed to attend classes in the morning, while primary four to six pupils should attend the afternoon session.

“The secondary schools should also follow the same system, Junior Secondary School (JSS 1-3) to attend classes in the morning, while the Senior Secondary Schools (SSS1-3) attend theirs in the afternoon,” Onyema said.

Mr Henry Ugochukwu noted that the reason for the recommendation was to have a successful academic year in 2021, in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think the morning and afternoon sessions in schools were being practiced in the 1970s and 1980s, in some states in Nigeria, and it was a success because academic performances among students were high.

“As we enter the second phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, I suggest that the government creates two sessions for our children’s academic success,” Ugochukwu added.