Barring last minute change in plans, schools in Nigeria would reopen in September, a senior official of the Federal Ministry of Education confirmed to Saturday Sun on Friday, in Abuja.
The official said the decision will be implemented after schools must have been put in proper position to control the spread of COVlD-l9. The source also disclosed that officials of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) have been frequenting the Ministry, National Assembly and other relevant agencies lobbying to persuade the government to reopen schools so as to allow graduating students to participate in the regional examination.
The official confirmed that WAEC officials have been uncomfortable since Nigeria announced that its students may not participate in the 2020 WASC examination. Since then, they have been lobbying and using every opportunity to make the government to rescind on the decision and allow students participate in the examination. According to the source: “The Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, met with WAEC officials on Monday, and they agreed to further consult with four other countries on the possibility of a new date for the examination.”
Meanwhile, the Director of Press, Federal Ministry of Education, Ben Bem Goong, in a statement, on Friday, confirmed that Federal Government has given school owners in the country up to 29th July, to meet specific guidelines towards the safe reopening of schools.
He also confirmed that the Ministry has met with Federal Ministry of Health, Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, (NCDC), the Education in Emergencies Working Group, and had developed and circulated guidelines for safe reopening of schools. He said the Minister has directed school owners to carefully study the recently released guidelines for safe reopening of schools, prepare and comply with them so that schools can be reopened.
Credit: The Sun