Nigerian schools resumption: How private school owner Rose Ezemazu turn garri seller
Schools across Nigeria shut down since March 2020 because of COVID-19 and since dat time many private school teachers never receive any salary.
Dis na di situation wey make Mrs. Rose Ezemazu, wey be di owner of one private nursery and primary school for Port Harcourt begin well garri for Sangana market as a way to survive. Mrs. Ezemazu bin get staff strength of 14 teachers and 3 non- academic staff and a total of 128 pupils for her pre-nursery to Basic 6 classes. Dem close on 21 March, 2020 after Rivers State goment, for southern Nigeria, give order for all schools to close sake of coronavirus and she manage pay her staff half salary but from April, she no fit pay dem again. As for online classes, Mrs. Ezemazu say only about 10% of di school pupils bin dey do di online classes as di parents complain say di money dem dey spend on data too much. Presently now, only 12 pupils still dey active for di online classes. She say right now majority of di parents of her school pikins dem don relocate go village as most of dem na traders for market. So as markets for Rivers State still dey shutdown, dem get to go dia village with dia family to find way to survive. Di odas wey still dey town, four teachers dey do home lessons while about five of di teachers dey sell akara, moinmoin and oda petty trading. "Di last money wey dey my hand na im I take start dis business. Around mid-April I start and di first time na vegetables I bin dey sell like Ugwu and waterleaf but if you no sell dem finish in a day, dem dey quick spoil so I decide to switch over to sell sometin wey no go quick spoil so I begin sell garri. But dis garri sef, no much profit, na turnover I dey look because if I buy a bag of garri, me and my family go chop like half bag. Right now sef, I dey owe di pipo I buy from but at least e dey help us one way or di oda." Mrs Rose Ezemazu wey get five pikins say life no easy for dem as her husband too loose im job because of COVID-19. She say di private company, wey her husband bin dey work, tell di workers to go so now im dey drive kabu-kabu (taxi) with dia car to make ends meet. "Tins hard o. My house rent don expire and di rent for di school sef dey due but wia I go get di money? In fact for di school own, I never pay last year rent finish before dis one dey come so, my sister na God hand e dey." Mrs. Rose Ezemazu add say di one Nigerian Goment promise to help private school teachers sef never get head as dem never see am. Di National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools NAPPS bin want make di goment pay di money through dem, but many private school teachers say dat one no go work as e no go reach many of di schools and teachers wey no dey registered wit dem, especially di ones for mushroom wey really need am and those wey just start new private schools. She come say sometime last year October, federal goment bin do census alias count umber of private schools across di kontri, so dem get record of di name and location of all di private schools so dem for like dem to use dat informate alias database to facilitate di payment, dat way many private schools for benefit. Mrs Ezemazu say if schools reopen now, no be all of dem go reopen because of many factors wey go include some repairs dem get to make for di schools to reopen well, some teachers wey don find oda means wey no go fit resume, besides many parents no go fit pay fees because dem business don fold. "So I go advice, make goment no reopen school until dem reopen markets so many parents fit work get sometin for hand first odawise, e go hard." She add.