By Samuel Ajala
In this report, Samuel Ajala visited the five South-East states and interrogated students, teachers, parents, government officials and stakeholders in an attempt to unearth how education has been impacted by the weekly sit-at-home order in the region.
Chibuzor Daniel (not real name), 18, was doing perfectly well in his studies at Day Secondary School, Enugu, Enugu State. He maintained second position in his class until the begining of the sit-at-home order in the South-East. Now, he performs woefully in academics, coming tenth in his last examination.
“The sit-at-home has made me lose focus in my lessons. Monday is usually referred to as the second and most important day of the week.
“It has contributed to my poor reading techniques. Before, I usually read well and understand due to the Monday lessons in the class,” says Daniel, who lives with a guardian because his parents couldn’t afford his school fees.
“Now even our teachers are no longer completing their scheme of work which leads to failure in the uniform examination because the most important day of the week is no longer there for us.
“If this sit at home on Monday continues, I am afraid more of us will keep losing focus in our studies. It might also lead to examination malpractice because we have a short time to take classes now,” he lamented.
Daniel is one of thousands of students in the South-East who stay at home every Monday because of the sit-at-home order in the region. Since the Monday sit-at-home order was declared in the South-East on September 25, 2021, it has been observed for 60 days, excluding the days Nnamdi Kanu made an appearance in court.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) declared a sit-at-home order to protest the Federal Government’s trial of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
According to the group, shutting down shops, schools, as well as public and private sector organisations every Monday will force the Federal Government to drop all charges against the IPOB leader and even consider granting the separatist group’s wish to secede from Nigeria.
The declaration is affecting the education of students in primary and secondary school as well as undergraduates in tertiary institutions as they are forced to skip school on Mondays because officials avoid school for fear of being harassed or harmed.
As it is, every Monday, while, students and teachers in different parts of the country attend schools, their counterparts in the South-East avoid going to school for security reasons, a situation that is affecting learning across the region. .
Last September, gunmen suspected of being members of IPOB attacked Comprehensive Secondary School, Nkume, in Imo State. The students were preparing to sit for the English Language paper in the Junior Secondary School Examination before the gunmen forcefully dispersed them to enforce the sit-at-home order.
Regrettably, several announcements of cancellation of the order by IPOB, efforts of some state governors and the deployment of security operatives, have not deterred the enforcement.
Ikengaonline investigations show students’ education in secondary schools and tertiary institutions is being affected due to the sit-at-home order. Teachers, parents, and other key stakeholders recount their experiences of how the order results in poor learning outcomes and contributes to the increasing number of out-of-school students in the region.
Interviews by Ikengaonline with students, teachers, parents and community people, revealed that in Enugu, Imo and Anambra states, there is total enforcement of the sit-at-home order on Mondays while in Abia and Ebonyi states, some areas have partial enforcement, especially in villages.
Students recount how incessant sit-at-home policy causes academic setbacks
Onu Chigozie (not real name) 14, who attends Day Secondary School, Enugu, Enugu State, said the sit-at-home on Monday has led to a setback in his studies. “Before the sit at home started, I always used Mondays to read. I never let any day slip past me without reading, but now the case is different,” noted Chigozie, whose father is a retired worker and mother a petty trader.
“It has also shortened the number of days I go to school and reduced the time my teacher gives us lessons in the school,” he lamented.
Godwin Chineye (not real name) 15, another student in Day Secondary School, said while she is at home on Monday observing the order, instead of reading, she ends up doing house chores for her guardian throughout the day.
Chineye said her Monday lesson in school had stopped. Now, she has limited time to study. She complained that teachers spent less than two hours meeting up with the topics and covering the scheme of work.
“It has also changed the pattern of exams in my school, including mid-term tests because every Monday we would be told about our mid-term test with the subject listed and how it would start and also given the timetable that Monday; but now the timetable will come out on Tuesday and we will write that same day.”
Ihesiaba Isabella (not real name) 15, a Metropolitan College, Onitsha, Anambra State student, said the Monday observation affects the academic performance of most students, not just herself.
She noted that most times in her school, they could not complete their scheme of work for mathematics due to the Monday sit-at-home.
“Subjects like mathematics, which is compulsory, also stopped us from observing our midterm break this year.”
Olu Victory (not real name) 17, a student of Nekede Secondary School, Owerri West, Imo State, said as a result of the sit-at-home policy, she has not been able to learn the subjects she loves very much, literature. Her literature class is scheduled for Mondays, but with the introduction of the sit-at-home policy, he has not been attending literature classes.
“As a result of the sit-at-home order, we have to transfer it (literature class) to another day, and other teachers who have been allocated those periods will not allow the teacher to teach us literature.”
Victory, who works outside school as a tailor with her guardian, urged the federal and state governments to immediately end the sit-at-home on Mondays.
Ikechukwu Charles (not real name), 18, from Nekede Secondary School, Owerri West, said he uses the sit-at-home every Monday to read. Lucky, who is preparing to write his West African Examinations Council (WAEC), said his teachers are trying to adjust the timetable so they can make up for missed classes on Mondays.
“The sit-at-home order is truly affecting me. Staying at home all Monday has affected our timetable in the sense that we are missing out on what we are supposed to learn and staying at home doing nothing. We look up to the state or Federal Government to intervene and help in any way they can help,” he noted.
Aside from secondary school students, students in tertiary institutions in the South-East are also affected by the sit-at-home order on Mondays. Their situation is made worse by the strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which started on February 14, 2022. This action has continued to elongate the academic calendar of public universities in the region and, by extension, the duration of students’ courses.
Sit-at-home policy hampers students, parents’ businesses
There are no accurate data on the economic losses from the sit-at-home order. Chukwuma Soludo, Anambra State governor, recently said his state lost N19.6 billion to the sit-at-home order every Monday.
In 2021, Dave Umahi, the Ebonyi State governor, said the entire South-East region lost over N10bn each time it observed the sit-at-home order.
However, it turns out that the sit-at-home is not only affecting student. Businesses are being affected, putting a strain on some students and parents who are struggling to make ends meet. Many students juggle academics and business, but with the sit-at-home declaration, their means of livelihood are in jeopardy.
Ezekiel Maris (not real name), 18, in Day Secondary School, Enugu, Enugu State, runs a small ‘moi-moi’ business with her elder sister outside school. She makes very little money from hawking to feed and pay her school fees of N3,050. With the sit-at-home every Monday, her earnings have reduced, barely enough for her needs.
Maris also laments that the expected time for school dismissal has been extended, giving her very little time to carry out other activities she does before the sit-at-home order starts.
“To meet up with the state academic calendar, our schools started having classes on Saturday, giving students more stress and also affecting some religious activities that take place on Saturdays.”
Another student, Ekuyemba Gift (not real name), of Metropolitan College, Onitsha, Anambra State, said the sit-at-home order had hampered her father’s business. She said her father, who is the family’s breadwinner and pays her school fees, now has a dwindling source of income.
“My dad who happens to be an upholstery maker doesn’t go to work on Mondays which has its effect on our income. My mum who is a teacher does not get to teach on Monday which impacts the way she teaches in her school.”
Gift, who pleaded for the cancellation of the sit-at-home policy added that observing it has instilled fear in her and people around her who run the risk of being attacked by unknown gunmen.
Teachers, parents say sit-at-home order draws students in the region backwards in terms of learning outcomes
Ugochukwu Israel, 23, teaches at Day Secondary School, Independent Layout Enugu, Enugu State. He said the sit-at-home makes him work extra days during the week.
Mr Israel said the sit-at-home order had disrupted the academic calendar of his class. “But it has been a major problem over here because when you try to cover for a lot of time, you have to cover for your schedule, and in a week, you are left with only two or three days to complete.
“The work that you should be doing for a week is taking you, on average, three weeks to complete.”
On the part of students, he said, “The students have lost concentration, are too tired to concentrate, and are too lazy to write or study. Some of my students have stopped attending school.”
Nancy Alex, 25, who teaches at Divine Favour International Group of Schools, Bende Local Government, Abia State, said she uses the sit-at-home day to prepare for her next class.
“I’m always bored at home; it also prepares me for my next class. I can’t meet up with my scheme of work for the term because my classes for Monday (sit-at-home) are ruled out. The students are unable to meet up with the scheme of work.”
Ezetulogo Michael, 26, a teacher at Metropolitan College, Onitsha, Anambra State, noted that the Monday sit-at-home order is barbaric and devilish because it ignores the value of education. Mr Michael said the academic calendar is being disrupted due to its effect.
“This is because when you subtract the number of Mondays from the number of days in a year, or the number of Mondays in a month, you will see just how terribly the students have suffered and how far behind they are in their academic pursuits.
“This sit-at-home policy has also ingrained some level of irreverence and criminality in the minds of students.
“Monday, which used to be a working day, has become ineffective for us due to the sit-at-home order. Rather than being in our respective schools, we will be at home doing nothing. There will be no movement or other activities because people are too afraid to leave their homes,” he said while reacting to how the observation has affected teachers.
He urged the Federal Government to intervene to end the sit-at-home order in the interest of the students..
Aja Emmanuel, a senior teacher at Comprehensive Secondary School, Unwana Afikpo, Ebonyi State, said the teachers and students had been affected by the sit-at-home order.
Mr Emmanuel, a father of three, said students who don’t attend school every Monday sometimes become sluggish. “Some of them fall behind in some areas. And as a teacher, you are aware that every school has a set curriculum that has been planned, with each subject being scheduled for a specific day. For example, if the subject that is supposed to be taught on Monday is not taught, the academic pursuit will be delayed, delaying the lesson that was supposed to be taught.
“Most of the time, teachers who feel compelled to cover all of the materials may not have the chance to do so. This impacts the academic success of students.”
Mr Emmanuel called on the government to identify the issue, and individuals stirring up the situation, and bring them to put an end to it once and for all.
However, he expressed fear that the Monday observation might encourage students to engage in immoral activities. According to him, “when they are in school, the hours they spend there help limit all the immoral activities they might engage in. When there is no school, students will be involved in one or two activities that could affect their future depending on the situation.”
Ngozi Itanyi, a parent with four children who also doubles as a teacher, said the sit-at-home order has made her children lazy. She said the observation is eroding the value of education in the community.
Mrs Itanyi said the issue is becoming more complicated because most parents cannot provide a safe space for their children to learn from home.
She feared some students might become dropouts due to the sit-at-home order if the situation is not handled as soon as possible.
“As of right now, I can see that some people in our community no longer value education, some skip tests and exams, and some even refuse to attend classes altogether because they believe Nnamdi Kanu will go to court.
“They now treat school-related activities with nonchalance. The youngsters are frustrated because they now believe it is pointless to rely on the government for their stay at home.”
School principals’ reaction
Ikengaonline spoke to about ten principals in South-East schools in an attempt to get their reactions on how the sit-at-home policy is affecting their students but majority of them refused to speak officially out of fear of losing their jobs because they are civil servants.
Maryanne (not real name), a secondary school principal in Enugu State who pleaded for anonymity, said the sit-at-home order puts students in the South-East at a disadvantage compared to their peers who attend school every working day of the week in other parts of the country.
“We have been observing sit-at-home every Monday since you became a corper here, and I know that you are aware of what is occurring in Enugu State and throughout the Igbo states because of our brother Nnamdi Kanu,” she noted.
“We do not mince words by claiming that it does not affect us; even the unborn child is aware that it does. In addition to not attending school, we avoid going to the markets, so it is not something we enjoy. Nobody is enjoying it.
“However, we are at a loss as to what to do as the government has refused to release him. What has he done in to earn the title of worst criminal in all of Nigeria. What has happened to the murderers of the people who are being killed every day? Has Nnamdi ever killed anyone? No. If so, why have they kept him captive for so long while we all suffer?
“Although there is freedom of speech and religion in this democratic nation, he is not free. The largest market in Enugu, Ogbete, is closed on Mondays, so we know it affects more than just school vendors. No government office opens on Mondays, so it’s not just all about schools. Anambra State, the entirety of Onitsha Market doesn’t open on Mondays. Imo, Abia, Ebonyi, people are suffering, so it’s not just all about schools, that’s all I can say.”
Ofodile Livian, a school principal in Magnet International School, Enugu, expressed disappointment over students’ inability to maximise the sit-at-home order to their academic advantage. She said students have resorted to cheating instead of learning to succeed in their academic pursuits.
“They ought to take themselves and their school attendance more seriously. If they are ordered to stay home on Monday, were they ordered not to study their books? That is not hurting them; instead, it is internal pressures rather than all these external influences. There is a limit to how much external influences may influence someone, but what really pulls a man down is an inside force.
“They like to cheat; therefore, I can’t tell you what they learned. Their attention is all on cheating, not knowing anything, so their learning outcome is zero. The modern world revolves around your level of connectivity; if you have strong connections, you will succeed.
“The only way it affects them is because the curriculum, which was supposed to be taught from Monday through Friday, is now condensed and is only being worked on from Tuesday through Friday. That’s all I have to say.”
Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools keeps mum
When our reporter interviewed the President of All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), Muhamad Ibn Musa, he said he couldn’t talk about the happenings in the region because he was not there. Mr Muhammad referred our reporter to speak with the zonal coordinator of the body in the South-East, Livinus Ezeah, a school principal.
However, when Mr Livinus was reached via phone, he refused to react to the story out of fear of being victimised by the state government. He confirmed that the students were affected but asked for a letter of permission from the state Commissioner of Education before he could grant an official interview.
Incessant sit-at-home could increase out-of-school dropouts in South-East
Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children in the world. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), more than 18.5 million children in Nigeria have no access to education, with girls accounting for more than half the number. In 2021, gunmen abducted around 1,500 schoolchildren, with 16 students losing their lives.
Most young hostages have been released after negotiations, but some remain in captivity in forest hideouts. UNICEF said more than 11,000 schools have closed in Nigeria due to insecurity since December 2020.
According to a report, in the South-East, the number of boys dropping out of school is also increasing alarmingly. The dropout rate in primary schools across the country is 30 percent, while only 54 percent transit to Junior Secondary Schools.
National Coordinator of Education Rights Campaign (ERC), a non-governmental organisation, Hassan Soweto, in an interview with Ikengaonline, said that the cumulative effects of the Monday sit-at-home would impact the learning outcomes, one of which is enrollment and retention. He said the poor educational outcomes could result in an increase in school dropout rates for the region.
“Some parents may not want their children to travel far from home to go to school since this may impair the child’s ability to enroll in, or complete their educational program in the future. This is especially true for parents whose children have become victims of the violence associated with the order.
“Because of their dread following their experience, they are unlikely to be ready to enable any of their other children to attend a school or any school that is far from their homes. In a certain sense, it may have an impact on enrollment and result in poor educational outcomes, such as an increase in school dropout rates.”
Talking about the implication of the sit-at-home observation, he said, “The students won’t be able to complete all the courses or subjects that are required of them in a given institution, which is the ultimate implication of this.
“The Monday limitation also has an adverse effect in that it frequently causes fear and violence when it is put into effect. Then there are international agreements that require governments to guarantee school children’s safety both on their way to and from class.
“Nigeria has ratified several of these conventions, and as a result of the actions of those who are implementing and enforcing the Monday restrictions, particularly due to the use of violence, we have heard of incidents in which this aggression has hurt students. In the South-East, schoolchildren’s right to safety on their journey to and from school has been seriously violated.
“Due to the anxiety that comes with going to school because of the Monday restrictions, many students are also experiencing psychological trauma due to all of these factors, which can also impact their learning process and other things. That is yet another way that I believe the Monday restrictions are having an impact on students.
“Additionally, it refers to the student’s capacity to successfully compete in these external exams against students from other parts of the nation and from West Africa who are also taking them in the South-East.
“We shouldn’t be surprised if in the coming years we start to see extremely poor learning outcomes in the South-East in terms of retention, overall performance in external examinations, and even in terms of enrollment because all of the things that have been mentioned have significant impact on learning outcomes.”
The activist berated the government, ministry of education, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), West African Examination Council (WAEC), and National Examination Council (NECO).
“To the best of my knowledge, the government has shown no concern for the situation we have described, in which the Monday sit-at-home rule is enforced violently, causing children to miss class and become victims of violence, and teachers suffering injuries or even death in some cases.
Educational body’s reaction
Based on the last ranking of states in the West African Examination Council (WAEC), South-East states – Abia and Anambra – top the chart in first and second position with the best performance in the 2018 examination. Imo, Enugu and Ebonyi came fifth, ninth, and tenth, respectively. Since 2018, no state-by-state ranking has been released by WAEC to ascertain the official performance level of students affected by the sit-at-home order.
There is no clear data to ascertain whether students’ performance in the South-East in NECO or JAMB has reduced to justify the poor learning outcomes. However, experts who spoke with Ikengaonline said the incessant sit-at-home order might result in poor academic performance in the nearest future if it’s not cancelled.
At the time of filing this report, all attempts to get to the Federal Ministry of Education through the spokesperson, Ben Bem Goong, and spokesperson of JAMB, Fabian Benjamin, through calls and text messages were unsuccessful, as our reporter didn’t get any response.
This Report is part of activities by the Ikenga Media & Cultural Awareness Initiative (IMCAI) under the Collaborative Media Engagement for Development Inclusivity and Accountability Project, a multi-level intervention for media independence and government accountability, managed by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) and supported by MacArthur Foundation.
