In a reaction to the agitation over the re-opening of private schools in Ogun State, an educationist, Professor Helen Bodunde has called on the federal and state governments to be cautious as some of the private schools’ proprietors are possibly not ready for re-opening.

The don while speaking with newsmen in Abeokuta hinted that not all private schools could cope with the COVID-19 protocols for reopening of schools.

The president of Education, Gender, Youths and Family Network, EDUGUF-N, a nonprofit organisation based in Abeokuta, noted that resources will not permit all private schools to obey the precautionary measures against COVID-19 while the government also lack the manpower to monitor all the schools for compliance.

She noted that experience have revealed that government efforts would be on compliance of the big private schools while no life of a child is worth sacrificing in the rural area and the hinterland.

Professor Bodunde noted that many states failed in monitoring the compliance in earlier reopened sectors such as transportation, market and other public places.

The Professor of Teaching English as Second Language stressed that life is more important than the proposed hasty reopening of schools.

She advised the stakeholders to learn from the experiences of other countries like South Africa by exercising restraint in yielding to the pressure of the few proprietors calling for the reopening of schools and she as well urged parents to also speak out.

Wale Oluokun