FG Urges State Governments to Reopen Schools

The Federal Government (FG) has urged state governments to reopen their schools to enable primary 6, JSS 3 and SSS 3 pupils prepare for their terminal examinations.

On Monday July 6, 2020, the Minister of State for Education, Mr. Emeka Nwajiuba and the Minister of Environment, Muhammad Mahmood, advised the state government to reopen schools for students preparing for their terminal examination.

The date for Primary 6 and JSS 3 National Common Entrance Examination and Basic Education Certificate Examination cum their internal examinations have not been fixed yet. However, it was noted that SS3 would start their West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) August 4.

Disinfection of schools against the spread of COVID-19 slated to commence today has also began in preparations for the resumption.

Nwajiuba explained that a decision on dates for the National Examinations Council (NECO), National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) would be taken after the WASSCE which ends September 5.

According to him, “As soon as we begin WAEC on August 4 and end it on September 5, we will take up NABTEB and NECO exams. Parents please take note.

“Last week, the chairman of the PTF (Boss Mustapha) announced that school facilities will be available for those who want to go into revision classes.

“The idea here is that we have a whole month from now till then (the examinations). The states who are willing should make their schools available for their children to revise.

“We have done the most we can. Our representative at WAEC(West African Examination Council) confirmed this(yesterday) afternoon that the date allotted will be from the 4th of August through to the 5th of September. Local timings will be published.”

The minister also said that officials of the Ministry of Education would have a meeting with those of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, the Nigeria Union of Teachers and other stakeholders today to seal the dates announced by the government.

”We will be asking that those who are not prepared yet should please go and prepare.

“We are continuing with registration for NECO for those who have not concluded registration along those lines, this is the time also to update and get registrations done,” he stated.

Also, the Minister of Environment, Alhaji Mahmood, explained that the reason decontamination of schools was delayed was owing to the fact that the Federal Government wanted enough chemicals to be available.

He, however, informed that the ministry now has enough chemicals and teams ready to carry out the disinfection.

Mahmood said: “Earlier, I told you that we have sat with the Ministry of Education and we have the list of all the schools that need to be disinfected before resumption. Well, what we plan to do now is to do (decontaminate) the centres that will be used.”