Secondary schools across the country would start reopening their doors, after more than four months of closure due to Coronavirus pandemic in the country, for academic activities from Monday and in some states tomorrow, Tuesday.
They would be reopening strictly for only SS3 students who are preparing to sit the forthcoming West African Senior Secondary School Examination( WASSCE) being conducted by the West African Examinations Council(WAEC).
This development, however, is a fallout from the education stakeholders’ meeting held by the federal and various state governments with the teachers, schools proprietors, school principals and the parents.
Speaking separately with our correspondent in an exclusive interview on Sunday, the Nigerian Union of Teachers( NUT), the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools(NAPPS) as well as the National Parent- Teacher Association of Nigeria (NPTAN) have all expressed their full preparation towards the reopening.
They said they are not afraid as there is nothing to worry about than for each of them as stakeholders and government to keep to their promises of living up to their respective roles in making sure that stipulated safety guidelines and protocols against the spread of covid-19 are adhered to by all concerned persons nationwide.
They said they would ensure that both the two weeks revision classes and the five weeks examination period are hitch-free across schools nationwide.
The Secretary-General of NUT, Dr Mike Ene and the National President of ANCOPSS, Mr Anselm Izuagie and that of NPTAN, Alhaji Haruna Danjuma, as well as the immediate past president of NAPPS, Dr Sally Adukwu-Bolujoko, said they carried along with their members in various states down to the local government level across the federation on the joint role to play by them all to ensure that no student nor teacher, nor examination officials nor any other person is infected with coronavirus not only on the basis of schools reopening but also generally.
They said they were more confident that things would work out as expected on the basis of sensitization and that only SS3 students who are around 1.5 million would be resuming for now nationwide.
They said to monitor them effectively would not be a problem unlike if all the students in secondary schools are to be involved.
The NUT scribe and ANCOPSS’ president, for example, said their members are not only ready to double their efforts in ensuring that their students are given intensive coaching to enable them to do well in the exam, but they would also equally ensure now as front liners to comply with all safety guidelines during the exercise.
NAPSS former boss on her part said private schools have no problem as regards adequate preparation for reopening but that government schools are where there is still a need for more efforts.
In his own remarks, NPTAN president said every parent was aware as they had been duly sensitised of the need to provide for their children both in boarding and day schools with necessary kits, especially nose masks and hand sanitizers for use in class and hostels.
While they all believe that the outcome of this reopening would serve as a guide for the country towards the general reopening of schools in future, they appealed to government at both federal and state levels not to fail in their own responsibilities.
They said though they are aware that the government had already decontaminated many public schools and also putting in place some safety measures, the responsibilities towards having covid-19 infection free-exam is a joint one.
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