LET US ALL BE AWARE

Dear colleagues,

As we continue moving through this week, I’d like to ask that we try to keep things in perspective and I’d like to ask that in spite of the severity of this world pandemic and the great importance of maintaining continuity in the running of the Academy, we all take a step back from the intricacies and demands of creating a virtual school and remember that our students are also in the middle of this global crisis and may be feeling it in more personal ways than we realize. In the last few weeks, I’ve become increasingly aware of the following and I would like to share it with you in the hope that it will help all of us to be more sensitive as we all try to navigate our way through this unprecedented world challenge:

• There are students whose parents, siblings or other family members have (knowingly or unknowingly) compromised immune systems or have major health concerns. They are terrified.
• There are students whose parents or other loved ones are doctors. They are under stress.
• There are students who are fully responsible for supervising the school work of younger siblings as well as taking care of their own commitments. They are overwhelmed.
• There are students who have been moved away to other homes/farms/relatives for their protection. They are disoriented.
• There are students who consume news and don’t have the maturity or discernment skills to evaluate the information they are exposed to and to put it in perspective. They are confused.
• There are students who have been suddenly and unexpectedly cut off from friends and support systems. They are lonely.
• There are students who face challenges at home with dysfunctions of all kinds, and no way to ‘escape’ it like they do when they are at school. They are anxious.

You may well be asking. ‘Who are these students?’ The simple answer is that it could be any of them. I dare say, it could even be all of them, in one way or another. Whatever the case, the truth of the matter is that they may be going through all of these emotions in silence and may not necessarily speak up. Even those who wish to speak may not be able to articulate their feelings. Having said this, let us as their teachers please be careful to control jumping to such conclusions as saying that such students are either ‘lazy’ or ‘trying to manipulate’ such a precarious situation. Yes. Although I must admit that undoubtedly there may the odd one or two students who have ‘shaken off’ school and are playing around on Tik Tok all day without a care in the world, if we look a little more closely, we may find that it is more likely that in fact they are not doing what we thought. Since we can’t be sure, therefore, we need to demonstrate sensitivity and compassion, which at the end of the day with the current circumstances, are more important than any subject content.

With all of this in mind and like I said, even though it is imperative for us to continue to run the Academy and provide continued educational services to our parents and students remotely, I would like to us the following advice. Please for the time being at least, let us refrain from giving our students assignments that involve ‘writing about’ or ‘reflecting on’ coronavirus and the situation in the world. We have received feedback that it’s too upsetting, too raw for some students. We’re still in the middle of the crisis and some students (and many adults for that matter) are just unable to process it at the moment.

Much as I understand the intention behind the need to bridge the gap between content and real life, I am also convinced that at this delicate time, we need to very carefully balance sound educational practice with minimizing the risk of causing undue damage and distress to our students and parents in the process. Due to the unprecedented nature of the current situation in the world at large and in Nigeria in particular, as far as it affects us and other members of Premiere Academy, managing and maintaining this balance has major implications if we don’t do it well. We just have to get it right, therefore, and God will surely give us the wisdom to achieve this.

Let me end this message with a famous quote that says, ‘Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.’ This is as true for our students and parents as it is for each of us as individuals, colleagues, friends and members of the Premiere Academy family. May Almighty God continue to protect us, guide us and give us the wisdom to do the right thing by our students and parents as we do all in our power to stay safe at this challenging time. Let us continue to be wise.

God bless us and God bless Premiere Academy.

Rowland E. Eno

Principal

• THE 2020 EASTER MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Parents and Guardians, 
It is my pleasure and joy to share this Easter message of hope and encouragement with all of you. This year, my Easter message is a very simple one. It is direct and it is intended for all of us regardless of age, occupation, ethnic origin, religion or background. It is a universal message that I hope will make sense to all of us wherever we find ourselves at this challenging time in the history of the world.

Celebrating Easter in troubled times
By now, none of us needs reminding that this Easter is very different from any other that most of us will have known in our lifetime. We are all fully aware of the current COVID-19 world pandemic and the vice-like grip that it has taken on almost every corner of the globe. Apart from the real and understandable danger presented by the prospect of contracting a disease of this nature and for which there is yet no known cure, especially when we hear daily about the growing number of people infected and the number of fatalities, it is important for us to take a step back and try to put things in perspective. This is the only way that we, as families and communities initially, and then as nations eventually will have any hope of containing the spread and ultimately overcoming the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. 
It is important to emphasize that this perspective I am talking about needs to be underscored by accurate information gleaned from reliable sources and the application of basic common sense, based on this information, if it is to be of any lasting benefit to us. In a world where fake news is rife, it is easy for us to get carried away by fear and pushed into a state of confusion and chaos by the abundance of ‘fear mongering’ messages that are currently going viral on the Internet and on social media, thereby making irrational decisions and forgetting the ‘still small voice’ of truth and reason that is available to all of us if only we will take the time to listen and be guided by it.

The solution to this problem rests with all of us
The simple truth is that whether we are heads of state, law makers, entrepreneurs, religious leaders or ordinary citizens, COVID-19 is real and is no respecter of persons and as daily news bulletins will attest, it does not discriminate in terms of who it will affect and who it will bypass, making us ALL potential victims if we are not careful. For this reason, it is imperative for us all to take a uniform approach to protecting ourselves and our loved ones by adhering strictly to directives and guidelines from trusted authorities on such strategies as social distancing and the need to stay in our homes and to function as far as possible from there. This includes working from home and taking advantage of our online school facility that is currently in place. It is my fervent belief that if each of us takes individual responsibility for making safety our primary focus, before we know it, everyone will have done the same thing and victory over COVID-19 will become a matter of time and life will quickly return to a semblance of normality.

The real meaning of Easter 
This is the essence of my Easter message this year. It is a reminder that Easter speaks of the victory of Christ. But we must remember that before that victory was won, Christ had to face challenges and temptations. The Easter story tells us how Christ offered Himself for our salvation by making the ultimate sacrifice of laying down His own life for our own good. It also teaches us that it was only by being willing to make that sacrifice that the desired victory was achieved and the forces of evil overcome. 
In a similar vein, this current coronavirus pandemic presents a similar challenge and is also a reminder of the need to make sacrifices for the common good. Thankfully, most of us are not called to sacrifice our lives but instead to remember what is really important in life (like our families, loved ones and life itself) and to make changes to our lifestyles and daily habits accordingly, to ensure the progress of the nation as a whole. We are called to make sacrifices for the rule of law to take effect and for the safety and wellbeing of all citizens to prevail. My Easter message to all of us then is an assertion that the solution to this current world problem rests with all of us and we can all do what is necessary to be a part of the solution by doing the right things.

Receive the gift of the risen Christ 
As we remember this season – the sacrifice and the victory of the risen Christ, therefore, I pray that the peace and blessings of Easter will rest and abide with every member of the Premiere Academy family this year and always. I pray also that we will all be wise enough to be a part of the solution and God will surely help and protect us as we do so. God bless you all, God bless Premiere Academy, and God bless Nigeria. Please continue to stay safe.

Rowland E. Eno
Principal

 

 

 

STEP 4

 

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THANK YOU