Parents in the seven Nigerian Navy Secondary Schools (NNSS) across the country have kicked against the decision of Directorate of Naval Education (DNE) directing schools to resume for third term beginning from this weekend.
Making their grievances known in the various Parents/Teachers Association (PTA) whatsApp platforms, the parents in unison condemned this directive saying that many state governments have directed that all students should be promoted to the next class using performances of both first and second terms that were concluded before schools closed as a result of COVID 19 pandemic which has ravaged the whole world since February 2020.
In a circular sent to the parents on Wednesday 9th of September and signed by the commandants of the various schools, the DNE had asked that all students presently in JS2 & SS2 to resume on Sunday 13th while those in JS1 & SS1 are to resume on Sunday October 18th with full payments.
The parents wondered if the schools will operate in isolation from their various states of location and demanded for how long the students will stay in school before writing promotion examination that the authorities are demanding for full payments of school fees.
“We would like to know the calendar and duration of third term as well as when the promotion examination will be coming up before asking us to make full payment of school fees” one angry parent demanded.
Another angry parent said “I think the idea is that the schools want to collect third term school fees for one month and then ask for first term school fees subsequently which is totally wrong and unacceptable. Not even in the face of the current economic hardships and when many parents have lost their jobs because of the pandemic and now you want the same parents to pay almost two hundred thousand naira (N200k) in a spate of three months, this is extortion”
The parents cited the cases of Ogun and Oyo States that have directed automatic promotions to the next classes and wondered if federal and state schools are running different academic calendars.
Another parent wondered why there cannot be enough time for notice of resumption, “you cant be asking us to prepare there lads in four days, it’s not right. We need time to prepare. At least a week notice wont be a bad idea, even state governments gave about three weeks notice, why does NNSS treat us as if we are not stakeholders”
A Zoom meeting between the Chairmen of all the Nigerian Navy Secondary School PTA and Directorate of Naval Education, did not yield any positive results as the Directorate directed the Chairmen to discuss with the Commandant of their various schools who in turn maintained that tbey were acting on directives but added that the resumption of JSS2 and SS 2 on Sunday, 13th of August, 2020 might not be unconnected to the need for these two arms to prepare for and write JOPREX, a mandatory promotional Examination for all Navy Schools.
While seeking the attention of higher authorities to intervene, the parents a situation where all other secondary schools across the country will be starting the first term of a new academic session and only NNSS will be going for third term of an old session for just one month.
