By Adesina Wahab
The Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT and the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, NAPPS, have thrown their weight behind the decision of the Lagos State government to shut down schools following the violent dimension the #EndSARS protest has taken.
In different chats with the Vanguard, the two bodies described the decision as a wise one.
The Lagos State Chairman of the NUT, Otunba Adesina Adedoyin, said there was no point allowing pupils and students to risk their lives while going or coming back from school.
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“Most of the pupils and students in primary and secondary schools can barely differentiate between their right and left hands. Some may even see the protest as fun and may decide to stand and watch and anything can happen .
“Because of the cosmopolitan nature of Lagos, it may be difficult for students to get to school and come back. Safety of all is very important. It is only the living that can learn,” he said.
On his part, the National President of NAPPS, Otunba Yomi Otubela, said since hoodlums have hijacked the protest in some areas, the shut down was right.
“We are talking about human lives here. Even some of our teachers and other staff are finding it difficult to come to work. Our pupils and students are very vulnerable and we cannot expose them to danger needlessly.
“It is just unfortunate that some people have hijacked the protest, but as an association, we stand by the decision of the government,” he said.
Recall that the state government on Monday evening announced the shut down of primary and secondary schools in the state, whether public of private following the violence that trailed the protest.
The shut down came on the very day the government asked all classes to resume after a phased reopening of schools closed down since March this year as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.
