In times of war, insecurity, disaster and the likes, school closure is usually an indication of crisis in the land. Coronavirus appears to be a health war fought across the globe. People are struggling to feed and have other basic necessities of life. In the midst of this, many private schools in Nigeria, especially Lagos state have taken to E-learning for different reasons. For some, it’s to keep the children productively busy while at home and for others, it’s to justify the school fees they are asking parents to pay.
Despite the memo issued by the Ministry of education saying the third term has not resumed until the government says so, some schools are asking for payment claiming that third term has resumed. While this has enraged parents, they still have to deal with children confiscating their device for almost the whole day as a result of their e-classes. Mixed reactions have indeed trailed this e-learning.
Mrs Ajayi Omobolanle has twin kids aged 5years and a 10-year-old. They have their e-classes via Zoom and 
WhatsApp video. Ajayi says, “They use my mobile phone and my laptop. I feel helpless when they are using my devices and it hinders the progress of my business. I run an online business and need to be online most of the time but the kids take half of my day.” When asked how long these classes take, she had this to say, “Zoom class takes 4-5hours for the older one and the younger ones use WhatsApp video for 2 hours.” Trying to find out if it’s just her devices they use, she said they also take her time. “For the twins, I have to copy notes on the board for them to copy and also explain ahead of the class and check performance at the end of the class. I am literally a part of the younger kids class.”, Ajayi said. She added that she had to open social media accounts for the children such as; kid mode, Zoom, Edmodo. Ajayi said the experience has been demanding and challenging and doesn’t wish it should continue. Asking if the schools have demanded any sort of financial contribution, Ajayi added that, “The younger kids’ school is asking for the fee with 20% off for our effort and data while the older kid’s school asked for N50, 000. It’s outrageous because people are barely trying to survive.”
For Mrs Chioma Okpara whose school-age children are 5years and 2years old said her kids are using the online system of learning through WhatsApp. They also make use of her mobile device for online studies. Asking her how she feels about this arrangement, she said, “I don’t really feel anything because they are my children and I am adding value to their lives by supporting them in the program.” However, Okpara added, “The usage of my mobile device does affect my personal use of the phone at that period because the device is kind of my office where some transactions take place.” She also noted that the class lasts for 3hours or more depending on their learning pace for the day. “The classes do involve my input at times. I also monitor their usage completely, since they are still small and can’t be left alone with the device. I didn’t have to open any social media account for them too. This really is not an easy exercise because I usually pause everything I am doing during that period of learning to give them maximum cooperation needed and as such it’s affecting me in one way or the other so I don’t wish for it to continue.” She concluded. Asking if the school has demanded financial contributions, Okpara added that they had requested for fees for the online study. She, however, did not give figures.
A mother of two, Mustapha Rasheedat whose kids are 2 and 4 years old said the children’s school provided the resources the children 
use to learn through WhatsApp. She also added that they use her phone to learn. Asking how she feels about the whole arrangement and experience, she didn’t sound positive. Hear her; “I feel stressed and disturbed and their usage sometimes affects the personal use of my mobile device. They use it for averagely two hours and I monitor them while using my phone. Their classes also require my input which is usually stressful and I don’t wish for this to continue.” Mustapha also added that the school had requested for financial contributions but did not also reveal the actual amount.
There are many questions on the lips of parents, some of whom have either lost their jobs or have received half of their salary as payment. Schools on their own part are justifying their actions. Ms Lydia who chose to speak as a private school owner and requested her school to be anonymous was of the opinion that schools still have overheads costs to run such as paying teachers, subscribing their data to teach the pupils and other things. Thus, tuition should be paid in full while other payments can be waved, pending when school resumes physically.
