FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PLANS TO REOPEN CHURCHES, SCHOOLS ,MOSQUES E.T.C

The Federal Government has disclosed that there are plans to reopen schools nationwide soon, saying, however, that this will not be done in two weeks as being speculated. This was made known by the minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, during the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 news conference in Abuja following rumours making the round the Federal Government would reopen schools in the next two weeks.

The Federal Government had ordered the indefinite closure of educational institutions nationwide as part of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

Nwajiuba said the schools would be reopened when the safety of the school children could be guaranteed. He said the government is being careful as not to endanger the lives of the school children and further spread of the coronavirus in the society.

He added that his ministry is working with other relevant stakeholders and agencies of government to put necessary measure in place that would guarantee the safety of children before the schools are reopened.

He said: “We all are seriously interested in reopening and I believe we will reopen soon. But I can’t confirm what your children said that we will reopen in two weeks.

“The five countries of West African Examination Council (WAEC) are meeting and I just came out of a meeting with African Union (AU) Ministers of Education, everybody is concerned as you are. We hope to reopen very soon.

“This morning, I met with the Ministry of Science and Technology. We are looking at putting a system in place that can disinfect every child as he goes into a school and disinfect him as he goes out.

“If we resource our schools properly we can begin to reopen. But we must be able to ensure that the children go in safe and come out safe and not become a conduit for further infection in society.”

EXPERTS OFFER SUGGESTIONS FOR THE RESUMPTION OF SCHOOLS

Experts have offered suggestions on how to maintain safe operation in schools after resumption, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Professor Muhammad Ibrahim Yakasai of the Faculty of Education, Bayero University, Kano (BUK), suggested that to ensure the safety of students and other members of school communities, there’s a need for serious awareness campaign, with regard to the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic. “There must be awareness campaign and student orientation, perhaps to be organised by student affairs’ units, with the involvement of student unions, to be carried out both at lecture halls and other places where students gather. This is to ensure that people come to terms with the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially as many still believe it is a hoax,” Prof Yakasai has said. He said the principle of social distancing must be adhered to where practicable, and ensure that classrooms accommodate a reasonable number of students.

 “This is only possible in schools with manageable number of students. When you take universities with population explosion like BUK and the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), that will be difficult to achieve,” he said. He also suggested the provision of facemasks, hand sanitisers and hand washing facilities to be placed at strategic places such as the entrance of lecture halls, labs, libraries and hostels. Yakasai also said clinics should be well equipped to be able to respond quickly to emergency situations. Also, Professor Bello Bello said measures must be taken to decongest classes, especially in urban areas where schools have large class sizes. “You already have schools that run on shifts due to their number of students. In that case, maybe you need to increase the number of shifts to include morning, afternoon and evening, especially in urban areas if you are to avoid congestion and ensure social distancing.

“There will be problem of shortage of teachers because you cannot ask the same teachers to run three different shifts. In that case, something needs to be done about hiring of teachers,” he said. A professor of Educational Leadership, University of Abuja, Salihu Yusufu Ingawa, said for post COVID-19 recovery, Nigeria should boost e-learning using solar energy, which is cheaper. “We can do it in each school; the problem will be in the training of the teachers and technicians to handle it, but it is much easier,” he said. Prof Ingawa noted that the biggest problem of Nigeria’s education system is the lack of political will despite having the policies. “Long ago, the World Bank tried to get us to start e-learning from rural areas, using solar energy, but it was abandoned,” Ingawa noted.

The president of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Chief Yomi Otubela, also suggested that reopening of schools should be in batches, starting with the terminal classes, including Primary 6, JSS3 and SSS3, to adequately prepare for examinations. He also suggested that schools be authorised to resume in states with no record of coronavirus and those with no surge in cases, before others. According to him, for effectiveness, regulatory bodies should supervise the implementation of safety guidelines in both public and private schools, before and after resumption. He said government and educational stakeholders must agree on a plan to get children back to school safely. He also recommended compulsory wearing of facemasks for members of staff, students and visitors, as well as observing physical distancing in classrooms and school buses. He further stressed the need for regular decontamination of school environments and cleaning of all surfaces, work tools, general areas, among others. Otubela urged policymakers to desist from converting public school facilities into markets and isolation centers as earlier suggested by federal authorities, noting that the lockdown  should be used by stakeholders and health professionals to develop safety guidelines to fight the spread of the virus within the school system. He called for provision of educational grants by the Federal Government to cushion the effect of COVID-19 and bail out private schools  from imminent collapse.

The population of private schools in the country, according to the NAPPS, stands at 83,524 with 34,614,169 learners and over 1 million teaching and non-teaching staff. To remain in business, Otubela requested non-interest loans to schools. The commissioner for education in Lagos State, Mrs. Folashade Adefisayo, revealed that the state was meeting the Federal Ministry of Education and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on guidelines that could be adopted when schools reopen. “We are watching the behaviour of the pandemic to see what happens next. We are working with the Federal Government on the possibility of re-opening schools in the country as soon as possible since this is not a decision any state can unilaterally take. If we are certain that the children are safe, we will reopen the schools. “When the protocol is completed and health officials assure us that the coast is clear, we will give schools some days to adjust their premises in accordance with the guidelines on commencement of academic activities,” the commissioner said. She noted that the protocol would be enforced by the Office of Education Quality Assurance in the state to ensure strict compliance by both public and private schools across the state In Plateau State, some educationists said safe reopening of schools was a welcome development because education is the foundation to meaningful progress.

They, however, cautioned that several safety measures must be put in place to avoid spike of new cases. The deputy vice chancellor, Plateau State University, Bokkos, Associate Professor John Barnabas Nvau, advised that reopening of schools should be in batches. He said top principal officers should be the first to return to work, followed by the middle cadre staff.  Thereafter, emphasis should be on awareness campaign when students are allowed into campuses in groups, he said. He further said school communities must adhere to all safety measures in place. He urged the government to support schools in the provision personal protective equipment (PPE).

In her view, Professor Ladi Adamu of the Mass Communication Department, ABU, Zaria, schools should not be reopened until it is safe to do so. She said that from all indications, COVID-19 would linger for a while, and as a result, there is every need to have adequate safety measures in workplaces. She advised that large classes be broken into smaller units while hostels should also be decongested. Also, Professor Jerry Agada, a former minister of state for education and ex-president of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), stressed the need for deliberate efforts by stakeholders to improve in all sectors of the country’s economy. Agada, who is currently the chairman of the Benue State Civil Service Commission and a seasoned educationist, having served as a principal in a public secondary school, said the experiences garnered during the lockdown would help the country to move forward. “My view of the post COVID-19 period is that in trying to return to normalcy afterwards, we should try to learn from the experiences of lockdown. For example, the use of virtual learning should be improved upon so that the method could be used alongside with the traditional method of teaching. “In terms of doing business, practitioners should continue to obey the NCDC guidelines and measures, such as regular hand washing, use of hand sanitizers, facemasks, physical and social distancing, among others, so that it could become part of our daily lives,’’ he said.

Commenting on the cure for COVID-19, Agada posited that medical research should be intensified. He urged government to provide security and social welfare for the citizens as part of its priority because poverty can induce the virus. He noted that government at all levels should not think of salary reduction; instead they should do more to ameliorate the suffering of the people. Meanwhile, the commissioner for education in Zamfara State, Dr Ibrahim Abdullahi Gusau, said he had outlined guidelines on how activities in schools would take shape when students return. “In the guidelines, questionnaires would be answered to provide solutions to problems on student-teacher relationship, available classrooms ventilation, overcrowding, as well as measures in handling people with COVID-19 symptoms,’’ he said. He said the governor had not yet given approval on the possible date for reopening of schools because he is still studying the guidelines for safe activities. Also, an educationist, Dr Jimada Musa, said there should be ‘massive’ enlightenment campaign targeting students and parents to create awareness on the dangers of the disease, as well as preventive measures.

Buhari to decide schools, churches, mosques’ resumption – PTF

CHAIRMAN of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 (PTF) and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari would decide on the resumption date for schools, mosques and churches.

Mustapha who led the PTF team to submit its report to the President yesterday  said  the task force submitted the fourth interim report to the president and appraised him of progress made in the last two weeks.

With authorities in Kogi and Cross River states rejecting results of coronavirus tests by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 also disclosed that it was President Buhari who has the final say on efforts to ensure no state operates as an island in the fight to flatten the COVID-19 curve.

Mustapha stated this against the backdrop of  Kogi State rejecting two index cases of coronavirus reported by the NCDC last week Wednesday. Cross Rivers remains the only state that is COVID-19 free with allegations  that these two states have not cooperated with the NCDC in allowing unhindered tests on citizens and residents.

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) recently urged the Federal Government to direct, through the Presidential Task Force (PTF), an investigation into the coronavirus-free status of Kogi and Cross Rivers States

Mustapha said the refusal of the two states to cooperate with the NCDC came up during discussions with President Buhari.

“We are doing everything to ensure that the entire nation is on the same page with one response and it is very important that we realise that no state is an island unto itself, when you deal with public health matters. Whatever happens in a particular locality has the consequences of spilling off to other constituencies. That is the message that we’ll continue to drive in our pursuit of getting everybody to be on board and I can assure you that there’s no island that exists as far as COVID-19 is concerned in this country.

“We must integrate all responses from the different segments of the community and the state and have everybody to be on the same page. We will continue to pursue that and we must also ensure that it happens. I can assure about that,”said Mustapha.

On reopening of worship centres, Mustapha said the PTF was awaiting the directive from the President.

“We have made the appropriate recommendations. But you know that Mr. President is the only one that can take decisions in respect of that. In the framework, the states are sub-nationals; they have their own responsibilities too. So, it is in the exercise of those responsibilities that they met with religious bodies and agreed on the protocols and guidelines on how to open up. But in the framework of the national response, we are taking that into consideration,” he said.

SCHOOLS REOPENING (LAGOS STATE UPDATE)

Lagos State government’s decision to rely on advice from the Federal Government  as well as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in determining when to reopen schools in the state is the right and proper thing to do.

The state’s commissioner for education, Folashade Adefisayo, said the state government was discussing with the Federal Government to arrive at a date. The two governments are however being guided by the NCDC.

Speaking while highlighting the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration’s plans for education during an online discussion tagged  ‘Covinspiration Show’, to keep the public abreast of the administration’s activities in the last one year, the commissioner said the decision to reopen the schools cannot be unilateral because COVID-19 affects the entire country, and indeed the whole world.

“We are watching the behaviour of the pandemic to see what happens next and we are working with the Federal Government on the reopening of the schools in the country. This is not a decision that any state can unilaterally take on its own.

If we are certain that the children are safe, we will reopen the schools for learning to resume”, Adefisayo said. She added that “After the protocol is completed and health officials assure us that the coast is clear, we will give the schools some days to adjust their premises in accordance with the guidelines on commencement of academic activities”.

It could not have been better said. Indeed, this is the appropriate model that all state governments should adopt. This is not a matter to be emotive or partisan about. Coronavirus  is no respecter of political party or status.

It has consumed some of the high and mighty in many parts of the world, including Nigeria, and some of them were only lucky to have returned home after being treated for the novel virus and discharged.

COVID-19 has brought about some of the world’s worst devastations in recent times, in terms of its human casualties and socio-economic disruptions, barely five months after it surfaced in Wuhan, China, in December, last year. And the world is still counting its losses because there seems no end in sight yet, especially with a cure still elusive.

Although economic and other activities are being unlocked globally after periods of lockdown, Nigeria inclusive, we know we are not there yet to throw our school gates open for resumption. Coronavirus is at the community transmission stage in the country, hence the spiralling increase in the number of confirmed cases nationwide.

Lagos has to be particularly concerned because it is the epicenter of the infection in Nigeria, and understandably so.

The state is Nigeria’s industrial hub; it is also a melting pot of sort, as it plays host to many Nigerians from other parts of the country, due to its many economic opportunities.

We don’t have to expose our most vulnerable segments to avoidable risks. As we know, children will always be children.

They love to play together, and there is danger in this, as social distancing is one of the main points stressed by experts as one of the ways to avoid coronavirus. Children’s inquisitive nature can easily expose them to the virus.

We need to avoid stories that touch the heart; hence the need to be extra-cautious in reopening schools, whether at the nursery, primary, secondary or even tertiary level. Some of the undergraduates now are babies by the standards of the immediate past. So, caution is the word all round.

This would appear to be the Federal Government’s guiding principle on the matter. Hence, it is considering sectionalising classes for all the tiers, before talking of reopening schools.

Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, disclosed on May 27 during a briefing by the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 in Abuja that there may be morning and afternoon sessions when the schools resume.

“We are going to publish a specification on what we expect the reopening to look like. 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 leave state governments that have been acting as islands unto themselves on COVID-19 with the words of wisdom by the minister: “Until we are sure these children can go to school, return safely and not put those who are more susceptible than them at risk, then we are running a huge risk and God forbid, in our hurry, something happens to our children, I am not sure anybody will be able to retrieve what has been lost.

The Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, has said that despite the announcement by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), on a gradual relaxation of the lockdown on Abuja, Lagos and Ogun states, the Federal Ministry of Education could not foresee or give any date when schools will be resuming in the country.

Nwajiuba said this while responding to newsmen during a briefing by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 pandemic on Tuesday in Abuja.

The minister said, “The President actually addressed the issue of the opening of the economy gradually. Until that is done, we can’t foresee or immediately tell you when all the schools will be reopened. It will not be proper for us to simply give you a date. It has to be in tandem with these opening terms. We don’t want to put our children at risk. None of these schools can function on their own without the society.

“On the question of children promoting to the next class, those exams will happen when we are satisfied that the children have learnt what is enough for them to move. For those who are in the exit classes of junior basic and senior secondary schools, we are preparing them and will continue to.

“This will go on until we are sure that they are equipped for the external examinations. The West African Examinations Council has not cancelled their external exams. It was postponed indefinitely. This indefinite nature is so that we can get a definite date. Students will still have to go and take those exams when we are sure that we have taken good care of the pupils.”

Meanwhile, the Federal Capital Territory Administration Education Secretariat has cautioned schools against re-opening, noting that it had not issued any directive for the resumption of academic activities.

The acting Secretary for Education, FCTA, Umaru Marafa, in a statement on Tuesday, affirmed that the directive closing all schools at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic explicitly stated that it would be in effect “until further notice.”

Resumption Date For Universities In Nigeria After Coronavirus

As seen from the above, it is safer to be at home with your loved ones alive than attending school and lose your life to a virus that has no cure yet. Therefore there is no resumption date for universities yet.

When Will Post UTME Begin In Schools

Likewise, it is very important to note that students who partook in the last JAMB have not gotten any news whatsoever as to when post utme will begin in schools. But like it is often said;

“If Oil stain one finger, he go affect the others”

Therefore until school resumes and everywhere settles a bit, I don’t think there will be the announcement of post utme exams just yet. However, we strongly advise candidates to be studious and prepare well for the forthcoming post utme as we perceive a rush when everything dies down.

Resumption Of Schools In All States

We will notify you when schools will officially resume in the following states below

Abia State

Adamawa State

Akwa Ibom State

Anambra State

Bauchi State

Bayelsa State

Benue State

Borno State

Cross River

Delta State

Ebonyi State

Edo State

Ekiti State

Enugu State

FCT (Federal Capital Territory)

Gombe State

Imo State

Jigawa State

Kaduna State

Kano State

Katsina State

Kebbi State

Kogi State

Kwara State

Lagos State

Minna State

Nassarawa State

Niger State

Ogun State

Ondo State

Osun State

Oyo State

Plateau State

Rivers State

Sokoto State

Taraba State

Yobe State

Zamfara State

Things you Can Do During Lockdown As A Student

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Create a routine

Setting a routine is vital for your wellbeing. Professor Kevin Morgan, the sleep expert at Loughborough University, warns that you shouldn’t use sleep “as a counter-product to boredom”. He says it’s critical to get out of bed at a normal time in the morning.

Although all the usual life cues are gone – like lectures or meeting friends – we need to keep the things that synchronize our body clocks, Morgan says, such as meal times, recreation, and winding down in the evening.

Keeping a routine not only helps with sleep but will keep you motivated, says survival psychologist Dr Sarita Robinson, from the University of Central Lancashire. “People in extreme environments can survive and come out mentally intact because they have appropriate coping mechanisms. A structured plan can be really helpful in keeping you motivated, so you don’t just fall away into feeling listless and depressed.”

Include time to study

Build studying into your routine. Mike Leaf, a final year geoscience student at Keele University, advises giving yourself deadlines. Setting yourself a goal of finishing a chapter of a project by the weekend, for example, will “keep you focused without guidance from supervisors.”

Lee says she checks in with friends to keep on task. She calls them her accountability buddies. “We motivate each other to finish our aims for the day.”

Set goals, but no pressure

Try not to put too much pressure on yourself to achieve. This is an unprecedented time, and “it’s absolutely OK to not be OK at the moment,” Robinson says. It’s good to have goals, she adds – “but my goals aren’t things like I’m going to write a high-impact journal. My goals are finishing that jigsaw, or spending an hour learning how to dance the Charleston. Low-level goals keep you motivated.”

Don’t be afraid to reach out

See what support is on offer at your university or students’ union. Robinson says: “It’s about reassuring students that we’re here for them. There is a lot of support, especially for international students unable to travel home, or students estranged from families.”

Call your friends and family, and arrange virtual pub quizzes or games. “If you’re a person who enjoys social contact, then it’s about trying to find a new way to connect,” she adds.

STAY ACTIVE

Morgan says the key is to get outside to exercise. “Get out and do a sensible amount of exercise when the sun is bright. Tell your physiology that it’s daylight. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can exercise yourself to sleep – you can’t, but what you can do is relieve some of the stresses that would otherwise accumulate through a confined environment.”

Exercise doesn’t have to be a workout. “It can mean moderate walking. It can simply mean being outdoors, raising your heart rate at about 50%,” he says.

Lee adds: “Whenever I feel anxious, I make sure to get out of the house and take my one hour of exercise. I can take a breather. It’s about listening to your body.”

Get in touch with nature – inside or out

The mental health benefits from interacting with green spaces are huge. If you can, go for a walk in a park or garden. But if that’s not possible, bring the garden inside instead. “Try virtual tours,” suggests Robinson. ”Just looking at green scenery has been shown to be beneficial. Growing things is also very therapeutic.”

Extensive research suggests gardening helps reduce anxiety and stress-related symptoms. You can still grow plants if you’re living in one room in block halls. Herbs such as coriander or rosemary are good for windowsills, and you can even get a (free) houseplant after eating an avocado. Fill a glass with water, and put toothpicks in the avocado stone to suspend it on the rim, so the bottom half rests in the water. Make sure it has sunlight, and when the stone sprouts, pot some compost and watch it grow.

CHANGE PERSPECTIVE

“If you start thinking that you’re stuck in your room, that can be quite demoralizing. Rephrase it to ‘I’m safe in my room, I’ve got opportunities to do things that I can concentrate on,’” Robinson says.

TRY NEW THINGS

Many exercise classes, social activities, concerts, and theatre shows are taking place online, so there will always be something to keep you busy. See if your favorite artist or comedian is live-streaming a gig. Or use this time to discover new experiences, whether it’s cooking, gaming, or going to the theatre (virtually). There are resources to help you find these new and mostly free experiences.