Date: 2017-09-21

As both private and public schools resumed for the 2017/18 academic session in Kwara State, last week, mixed feelings have continued to trail the level of turnout of pupils and students.

In some schools visited in Ilorin, the state capital by our reporters, the level of turnout was impressive but for others, the head teachers and proprietors blamed the low attendance in their schools on the economic recession.

While academic activities were noticed to have commenced in some schools, teaching and learning was yet to start in others as some pupils and students were sighted playing football and other collective activities.

According to Mr. Idris Yusuf, the headmaster of Iman Primary School, Adangba, the turnout of students was commendable despite the economic recession. His views was shared by the proprietor of Sholabest Nursery and Primary School, who said, "Our pupils turned up well on the first week of resumption and that could probably due to the fact that most of them are Christians who had no reason to travel for the recent Eid-el-Kabir celebration."

A teacher at Ramat Nursery and Primary School, who pleaded anonymity stated that many learners did not resume in the first week as the school is largely dominated by Muslims. According to her, most of our pupils are yet to return to Ilorin after sallah celebration but we expect a massive turnout next week.

For Mrs Adeniyi, a federal staff secondary school teacher, she said many students of the school could not attend school in the first week as their parents were yet to raise money for text books, other learning materials and school fees.