• Mulls Morning, Afternoon ClassesNigerian Government on Wednesday said schools across the nation will be reopened by at a safe time while it will soon roll out guidelines for the reopening.
“The Presidential Task Force wishes to use the occasion of this celebration to congratulate our children and assure them, their parents and all stakeholders alike that all hands are on deck to reopen schools at a safe time,” Boss Mustapha, chairman of the presidential task force on COVID-19, said.
“We, therefore, use this medium to urge states, local governments, proprietors and all other stakeholders to begin to take steps that will facilitate an early and safe reopening,” he added.
The Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, also speaking, said the federal government is weighing the option of running two classes in the morning and afternoon in the secondary schools to enable students make up lost grounds when normalcy eventually resumes to the school calendar disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic .
The plan entailed the adoption of a two-shift system and allowing those who will write exams to return earlier than others. The model is to ensure that all the children do not return to their schools at the same time to ensure physical and social distancing as well as proper sanitation and hygiene at every school.
He said government was also considering allowing Senior Secondary School students to finish first before others resume at a later date given that it was virtually impossible to practice social distancing in the schools.
He urged state governments and owners of private schools to plan ahead on how to ensure maximum safety for students when the resumption plan is unveiled.The minister also said the PTF had not announced any date for the reopening of schools across the country.
“Until we are sure that our children can go to school and return safely without taking Covid-19 home, we are not ready to take the risk of opening schools,” he saidHe stressed the Federal Government will rely on the opinion of experts and the guidance of the World Health Organization (WHO) before announcing any school resumption dates.
