COVID-19: FG says no approval for resumption of schools yet

The federal government has said it has not yet given approval for the resumption of schools across the country.

The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 made the clarification on Thursday, July 2, when addressing the controversy surrounding the resumption of schools, Channels TV reported. 

The PTF chairman, Boss Mustapha, said only students in critical classes were permitted to resume for revision Source: UGC.

The PTF chairman, Boss Mustapha, speaking at the COVID-19 briefing in Abuja explained that only critical examination classes will be allowed to resume for those who need revision ahead of the exams. 

“For the avoidance of doubts, schools have not resumed. Only critical examination classes will be allowed to resume for those who need revision before examinations,” he said.

“As we have informed you, the Federal Ministry of Education will consult further with stakeholders before issuing guidelines that will lead to full resumption.”

He urged parents to ensure that their children take full advantage of electronic platforms provided for learning.

Mustapha emphasised that students in critical classes were only permitted to resume for revision before the commencement of their examinations.

He said the approval has been misunderstood and given different interpretations by Nigerians.

Meanwhile, the coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Dr Sani Aliyu, has given more update on the federal government’s decision on the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC).

Aliyu noted that the WAEC timetable is not determined by Nigeria and the government does not want a spill-over in the country’s academic calendar. 

Speaking during an interview with Channels Television on Wednesday, July 1, he noted that any serious spill-over in the nation’s academic calendar will affect graduating students.

“We have a large number of students that are in their exit year. They need to move on. We have exams that are not specific only to Nigeria but in West Africa, WAEC for instance.

“We need to find a way to safely get these students to do their exams and exit, otherwise we will have a serious spill-over when it comes to education. “COVID will go away eventually.

It may take a year or longer, but what we don’t want is to have such a significant impact on our educational programme where children are unable to move at home where there is no mobility,” he said.

The PTF had announced that schools will be reopened nationwide for graduating students with immediate effect.