The Federal Government says it is thinking of sectionalising classes for primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions in the country ahead of school reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, stated this on Wednesday during a briefing by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja.
The minister, who faulted the reports that schools would reopen in the country on June 8, said the government could not afford to take any costly risk, especially as it regards the safety of pupils and students in the country.
He said, “Until we are sure these children can go to school, return safely and not bring up with them COVID-19 and infect people who are more susceptible than they are, then we are running a huge risk and God forbid, in our hurry, something happens to our children, I am not sure how anybody will be able to retrieve what has been lost.”
Nwajiuba said the ministry is being guided by the advice of experts as well as those of the World Health Organisation, noting that the decision to reopen schools in the country would be carefully arrived at because education is on the concurrent list of the Nigerian Constitution.
He appealed to private owners of schools in the country to co-operate with the government in ensuring the safe reopening of schools in the country.
“We are going to publish a specification on what we expect COVID-19 or post-COVID-19 reopening to look like. We are not talking about coping with COVID-19 but in spite of COVID-19, we expect that we will adapt.
“For a country that has over 115,000 primary schools, you will understand that 35,000 of these who are private must agree to set up the same standard in other to allow children to go in.
“We may have classes in the morning and classes in the afternoon so that we will have the whole of the infrastructure divided provided they can serve us. I am not sure we will have classes at night. But we can do with morning and afternoon for now,” he explained.
Punch
May God deliver us from covid 19 , so that our children can go back to school
If with what some comments suggest that the government don’t care, will you as an individual send your children to school amidst the rising cases been reported in the country? If you love your children, will you expose them to apparent dangers? Well iam not against opening of schools but government give due consideration to the fact if there is anyone who is a carrier and have contact with school students, the multiplying effect cannot be imagined. They should think about all those in examination class on how they would write there exam. Those in primary 6, JSS 3 and SS 3.
Thanks for this…
But I think this issues of reopening school can still course this covid 19…but Government should give us more time for save life.