By Sani Ibrahim Paki

The Centre for Information and Technology and Development (CITAD) has commended the Kano State government for its initiative in engaging 2,000 marshals to enforce compliance with COVID-19 protocols in the state.

The coordinator of the centre, Ali Sabo, who stated this on Monday during a press conference in Kano, however, lamented poor compliance with the protocols in most state’s secondary schools.

“These marshals will go a long way in enforcing people to comply especially on the use of face masks.

“We have recently conducted a survey in 60 secondary schools in Kano State and we observed that there is little compliance with the COVID-19 protocols.”

CITAD, therefore, called on the state government to provide more structures in the schools to minimise congestion in classrooms and hostels, provide adequate protective equipment, disinfect their premises regularly, and ensure more sensitisation of students and teachers.

Chronicle reports that the state government on Sunday inaugurated 2,000 people including men and women called ‘COVID-19 Marshals’ to sensitise and enforce compliance to the COVID-19 protocols around the state.

This initiative, according to the government, was the first of its kind in the country and it was part of the government’s effort to curtail the spread of the disease as more cases were recorded during the second wave of the pandemic in the state.

The Centre for Information Technology and Development have issued an advisory on safety protocols In Kano Secondary schools, this was revealed in a statement signed by Ali Sabo, Campaign and Communication Officer at the CITAD.
The statement read in part we are all aware that Covid-19 has become a threat to our lives, economy, social, education as well as every aspect of our lives.

As of yesterday, 31st January, 2021, it has been reported that more than 100 million individuals have been infected with this deadly virus with more than 2.2 million casualties globally (Aljazeera English). In Nigeria, as reported by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) so far the country has 131,242 confirmed cases with 1,586 casualties
While speaking on the source of the virus, it was noted that while the source of origin and transfer to humans is not known, human transfer has been confirmed widely.

“The coronavirus virus (COVID-19) is a highly transmittable and pathogenic viral infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which emerged in Wuhan, China in 2019 and spread around the world. Genomic analysis revealed that SARS-CoV-2 is phylogenetically related to severe acute respiratory syndrome-like (SARS-like) bat viruses, therefore bats could be the possible primary reservoir. The intermediate source of origin and transfer to humans is not known, however, the rapid human to human transfer has been confirmed widely. COVID-19 made its official landing in Nigeria on 27th February, 2020 via Lagos and spread across the country like wildfire”

.
CITAD recalled that the Kano State Government heeded the calls made by different stakeholders in the state, after receiving a green light from the Federal Government for all schools in the country to resume academic activities, the state government set up a committee under the chairmanship of the States Deputy Governor who is the Chairman States Task Force Committee on Covid-19.
The Committee was saddled with the responsibilities of coming up with strategies and road map on how the schools would be reopened in the state. Some of the policies came up with by the committee for schools including Islamiyya schools in the state included;
That, Primary 1 and 2 pupils were to attend classes only on Mondays and Tuesdays while Primary 3, 4 and 5 pupils will attend classes only on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Also, JSS 1 and SS1 students in both public and private schools are to wait at home for additional five weeks until the end of transitional and qualifying examinations to ensure social distances in classes and hostels. In the same vain, JSS 2, JSS 3 & SS 2 were to fully resume in preparation of the forthcoming qualifying and transitional examinations among other recommendations such as compulsory wearing of face mask, social distancing .

CITAD noted that during the first reopening, a survey was conducted to assess the compliance of these Covid-19 safety protocols in the secondary schools in the state as prescribed by the state Task Force Committee on Covid-19.
This was done with support of MacArthur Foundation and International Institute of Education on the 25th and 26th of November, 2020 . 60 secondary schools were captured by the state.
According to Ali,

“ The essence of conducting the survey was to: ascertain the level of compliance with the Covid-19 safety protocols in schools as prescribed by Kano State government and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), understand the gaps that are in existence in terms of complying with the Covid-19 protocols in the schools, generate data that will be used to advocate to concerned authorities for proper action as it has been proven that Covid-19 is a disease that can be transferred easily between person to person by either contact with persons, objects or through fluid. For the sampling of the schools, the survey sampled 60 schools, 20 schools each from the three zones (Kano Centre, Kano North and Kano West) in the state which comprised senior and junior secondary schools, science, conventional, special schools, girls, boys and mixed schools in the state”

CITAD listed some of their findings as below;

That there is little observance of social distancing in class rooms, dormitories, sporting arenas and dining halls. Also, Hand sanitizers are only being provided at the gates of the schools, students are required to wash their hands at the gates but the use of hand sanitizers in classes, hostels and schools premises is minimal as at the time of the research.
Class rooms, hostels, dining, laboratories and other facilities are not being disinfected regularly; Temperature check for visitors and students temperature at the gate of the schools is compulsory ; Thermometers for temperature checks are not adequate,The report noted.

While wearing of facemask was said to be compulsory, Students compliance of wearing of Face masks in the schools premises is very minimal and the authorities are not enforcing it
“Teachers are not complying with social distancing and wearing of Face masks; Teachers were properly being sensitized about the importance of observing Covid-19 protocols but students were not being sensitized properly; There is poor or no mechanisms in place by the government to ensure compliance with the directed protocols in school; Schools are poorly financed to provide adequate availability of hand sanitizers and Face masks for students and staff on a daily basis ; There have not been sufficient public awareness and sensitization programmes in many of the schools and among the students, there is still doubt about the reality of COVID 19”

Based on the above findings CITAD called on the Kano State Government to ensure the prompt implementation of the following recommendations in order to safeguard the lives of both students and their teachers:

1. The state government should provide more structures in schools to minimize congestion in the class rooms and hostels

2. The State government should provide adequate protective materials such as hand sanitizers, Face masks, thermometers and disinfection materials. This can be done through mass purchase and distribution of these to the schools

3. More sensitization to the teachers and students on the importance of observing Covid-19 protocols

4. Schools authorities should ensure the enforcement of all Covid-19 protocols in their schools by setting a Covid-19 Task Force Committee in their schools

5. There should be regular disinfection of classes, staff rooms, dining halls and students hostels

6. The Ministry of Education should establish a mechanism that will go to schools to observe compliance with the protocols. This mechanism can be an add up function for the School Inspectorate Department. However, in this case schools inspection must be regular

7. There should be sustained sensitization to reach all the schools in the state so that all students, teachers and other workers or members of school communities are aware about COVID 19 and know how to protect themselves as well as stop its spread through their action.

Sharing of the findings of the survey has become more urgent given the reality of the second wave which has made the state government to ask workers below grade level 12 to stay at home. If government is so concerned about controlling the spread of the virus at work places which have more spaces for social distancing and with individual workers capable of affording to use face masks and hand sanitizers, it is curious that schools should on the other hand reopen. Our schools are not in a position to enforce social distancing given the crowding in the schools. They cannot afford to provide face masks for pupils nor is government providing the schools with adequate and regular supply of hand sanitizers. Parents and guardians, under the present circumstance cannot be expected to bear this burden. The statement read in its closing part.

By Abbas Yushau Yusuf

The centre for information technology and development CITAD has decried poor financing for schools in Kano to provide sanitizers and facemasks for students across the schools for observance of covid -19 protocols.

The senior communication officer CITAD Ali Sabo stated this while addressing journalists at the centre in Kano

According to Ali Sabo there is also poor mechanisms put in place by government to ensure compliance with the directed protocols in schools.

CITAD Sub-Grantees Produced Locally -Made Hand Sanitizers And Face Masks

According to him   there have not been sufficient public awareness and sensitization programmes in many of the schools and among the students, and casting of  doubt about the reality of COVID 19. The CITAD said its findings have indicated that conditions are  uniform across different types of schools and across different zones of the state.

He said the   screening of visitors is done at the gate, especially in boarding schools, however within the schools they can go about their business without Face masks or use of hand sanitizers‘’  It would appear that the non-compliance with key aspects of the protocols is largely due to the inability of either schools or the students to provide for themselves on protection means such as Face masks and hand sanitizers’’

CITAD further call on the Kano State Government to ensure the prompt implementation of its  recommendations in order to safeguard the lives of both students and their teachers:

They called on the state government to provide more structures in schools to minimize congestion in the class rooms and hostels CITAD further urges  Kano State government to provide adequate protective materials such as hand sanitizers, Face masks, thermometers and disinfection materials. This can be done through mass purchase and distribution of these to the schools, Ali Sabo added  that  More sensitization to the teachers and students on the importance of observing Covid-19 protocols should be introduced.

They further called on   School authorities to ensure the enforcement of all Covid-19 protocols in their schools by setting a Covid-19 Task Force Committee in their schools and  regular disinfection of classes, staff rooms, dining halls and students’ hostels.

A Civil Society Organisation, Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has urged Kano State government to close schools for some months due to surging daily coronavirus infections.

Speaking at a news conference on Monday, the CITAD Coordinator onCOVID-19 Protocol, Ali Sabo  expressed dismay over the violation of COVID-19 Protocol in most Schools in Kano especially classrooms which are overcrowded, therefore no room for social distance to be enforced.

Solacebase reports that on Sunday 31th January, Kano recorded additional 40 cases of  COVID-19 infections with 2 death.

Ali Sabo said following an assessment and survey carried out by CITAD on COVID-19 protocols in some schools, it has discovered that most schools were not ready for safe reopening.

‘’It is surprising that Kano State Government ordered civil servants to stay at home over the rising second wave of COVID-19 with exception of schools, do people overcrowd offices like students overcrowd classes, Sabo asked?

“Our concern came amid increasing COVID-19 cases and deaths, in the state and country at large, Sabo added.”

CITAD also advised Kano state government to provide more structures in public schools to minimize overcrowding in classrooms and hostels.

However, speaking to Solacebase on the development, Kano State Commissioner for Education, Malam, Muhammad Sanusi Kiru said the state government is not ready to close schools over COVID-19.

Kiru said apart from the state inspectorate division, the federal government team saddled with monitoring, compliance with the protocol and guidelines on COVID-19 protocol have not found our schools wanting.

‘’We believe that as an observer, we ought to have been contacted on what they discovered in our schools before going to the press and calling for schools closure over their findings, with these they are not fair to the education sector,’’ Kiru lamented.

On the issue of overcrowding in schools, the commissioner said that is expected considering the free and compulsory education introduced in the state.

‘’Naturally, you know that enrolment is high and construction of schools or rehabilitation is an annual event, it is something that is inserted in the budget. We are just in the new year, so whatever project we have in the budget, funds are expected to be released anytime from now.’’

‘’Kano has the highest rate of schools enrolment in the country and we have to look at our peculiarity.’’

By Yakubu Salisu, Kano

Centre for Information Technology (CITAD) has decried what it describe poor compliance of Covid 19 protocols in Kano State Secondary Schools thereby exposing students, teachers and other staffs to the risk of contacting the deadly virus.

The Kano Based Non Governmental Organization made this known on Monday during a press conference to make public it’s findings after the Centre with the support of MacArthur Foundation and International Institute of Education conducted a survey to assess the compliance of Covid 19 safety protocols in secondary schools in the State as prescribed by the State Task Force Committee on Covid-19.

According to the Coordinator, Covid-19 Project, CITAD, Ali Sabo, the survey which was carried out in 60 Secondary Schools in the State the Centre found out that there is little observance of social distancing in classrooms, dormitories, sporting arenas and dining halls, while hand sanitizers are only being provided at the gates of the schools but the use of the sanitizers is minimal in other areas of the schools.

Other findings include; failure on the part of teachers to observe social distancing and wearing of face masks, inadequate thermometers for temperature checks, poor or no mechanisms in place by the state government to ensure compliance with the directed protocols in schools.

Furthermore, that schools are poorly financed to provide adequate hand sanitizers and face masks for students and staff on daily basis, insufficient public awareness and sensitization programs in many of the schools and among the students, which still leads to doubt about the reality of Covid-19 amongst the students and teachers.

Sabo said that, their findings indicated that conditions are basis uniform across different types of schools and across different zones of the State that it would appear that the non-compliance with key aspects of the protocols is largely due to the inability of either schools or the students to provide for themselves on protection means such as face masks and hand sanitizers.

The Coordinator explained that based on their findings the Centre call on the State Government to ensure the prompt implementation of the following recommendations in order to safeguard the lives of both students and their teachers; that the state government should provide more structures to minimize congestion in class rooms and hostels, adequate protective materials should be provided.

Other recommendations include; sustained sensitization to reach all the schools in the State, the State Ministry should establish a mechanism that will go to schools to observe compliance with the protocols.

Speaking further, Ali stated that the Centre finds it difficult to understand the rationale behind the State Government’s decision to keep it civil servants below grade level 12 at home and ask students to resume school where by should a child be infected, such a child is capable of infecting an entire family.

He said CITAD is following with keen interest development in the State Secondary Schools as regards the Covid-19 and would suggest a closure should the situation warrant that because an infected child could infected not just only his or her family alone but a whole lots of other persons.