Schools in Abuja to resume Monday – Minister

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Muhammad Bello, has ordered all schools in Abuja to resume academic activities for the first term of the 2020/2021 academic session on October 12.

The minister also said all boarding students are expected to resume on Sunday, October 11.

In a statement on Thursday night which was signed by the spokesperson of the minister, Anthony Ogunleye, Mr Bello said the guidelines for the reopening of the schools will soon be released.

He said the FCT did not record any case of COVID-19 during the reopening of schools for exit classes.

He urged officials and pupils to comply with COVID-19 protocols once the schools reopen.

Resumption

Also speaking, the chairman of the FCT School Resumption Committee, Fatima Abdulrahman, said students “will use the first week for revision and the second week to write the second term examinations which were suspended following the sudden closure of all schools at the onset of the pandemic”.

She said the first term of the 2020/2021 session will be concluded on December 18, and “this essentially means that there will be no third term in the 2019/2020 academic session.”

She advised that all public and private schools in FCT should put in place adequate safety measures which have been set.

“The committee on reopening of schools and the department of quality assurance under the education secretariat will work together by undertaking regular evaluation of all schools in FCT and embark on inspection and monitoring of schools to ensure strict compliance to the laid down health protocols of Covid-19,” she said.

Guidelines

She said any school found wanting will face appropriate sanctions, including closure.

“The FCT Administration through the school committee on resumption has taken proactive steps ahead of the resumption to safeguard the students and teachers as they return back to academic activities which include: compulsory fumigation of all public Schools in FCT, clearing of grasses, provision of sanitizsrs, soap, buckets, and thermometers for each school to be placed at strategic places within the schools for students and staff,” she said.

She said sickbays must be provided in every school.

“Students with underlying medical conditions should report with a medical report, observe bed spacing of 2 metres, suspension of school bus services for now and where parents insist, the school must ensure adequate social distancing in the bus,” she said,

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the minister of education, Adamu Adamu, ordered the reopening of all schools in Nigeria from October 12.

PREMIUM TIMES also reported how the federal government ordered the closure of tertiary institutions, secondary and primary schools nationwide following the outbreak of coronavirus in the country in March.

Many states including Lagos, Oyo, Kano and Enugu, have since announced dates for the reopening of schools in their domains.