ODSG sets guidelines for school reopening
– Steve Ovirih.
The Ondo State Government has intimated Principals of secondary schools of the necessary guidelines that needed to be adhered to before schools can be reopened in the state.
As a result of the outbreak of coronavirus in Nigeria and to prevent the spread of the virus among students and teachers, Ondo State Government ordered the closure of schools on the 27th March, 2020 and since then, schools in the state had been under lock and key, with speculation in some quarters that schools may not reopen anytime soon.
However, in a meeting with education stakeholders called last week by the Commissioner for Education, Pastor Femi Agagu, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary , Ministry of Education, Mr. Akin Asaniyan, some guidelines were laid down as a precondition that must be met by school Principals before the state government can talk of opening schools.
Notable among the guidelines were the provision of washing basin at the entry of all schools and the provision of same in each of the classrooms. Mr. Asaniyan said, teachers, students and visitors to the schools must all imbibe the culture of hand washing , a prescribed safety protocol against contracting coronavirus that had ravaged the country terribly for the fourth month running. It was also noted that schools must provide hand sanitizer while parents are advised to give their wards hand sanitizer as they are expected to always clean their hands using the sanitizer. Equally, morning assembly are cancelled for now among public schools in Ondo State.
While schools are to resume by 8 am and close by 2pm, students will no longer be allowed to gather together for ‘break’ and all sporting activities are suspended forthwith. Equally, schools’ food vendors are not to be allowed to ply their trade in schools for now as their presence will give room for the clustering of students.
In the same vein, it was agreed that students must always wear nose cover to school and while they are in the class room, there must be adequate space in their sitting position.
The Commissioner for Education directed that school environment must be cleared of bushes and fumigation of the entire perimeter of school compounds must be effectively carried out before school reopening.
In an interview with the President of All Nigerian Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPS), Ondo State Chapter, the President, Mr. Johnbull Mebawondu said the interactive session is meant to reappraise the level of preparedness of education stakeholders in the state ahead of the plan to announce the opening of schools by the state government, stressing that all the laid down guidelines are expected to be taken care of by all the Principals of secondary schools in the state, adding that the ministry of education will activate effective monitoring of the laid down preconditions for school resumption.
It will be recalled that the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu , early July announced that Nigerian students in the final classes will not sit for the West African Certificate Examination (WAEC) for the fear of the ravaging coronavirus, while his Junior Minister, Chukwuemeka Nnwajuba had earlier given a consideration that the final year students of secondary school will write the examination. The cancellation order of the senior minister drew the ire of parents and education stakeholders who demanded that Malam Adamu Adamu rescind the decision so that The final year students of Nigeria do not suffer academic calendar stagnation.
As a result of the guidelines already released by Ondo state government, students in the transitional classes of JSS 3 and SS 3 are expected to resume soon.
As at the time of filing in this report, information gathered indicated that the 36 commissioners of Education in Nigeria, Education secretaries in Abuja (FCT) , Ministers of Education and other representatives of the external examination bodies will meet today 27th July to further deliberate and possibly pick a date for school resumption.
