The Lagos State Office of Education Quality Assurance has embarked on a COVID-19 safety and hygiene compliance monitoring exercise in order to ensure that schools adhere strictly to the guidelines on the safe reopening of schools as specified by the Federal and the Lagos State Government.
This was disclosed on Wednesday August 19, 2020, by the Director-General and leader of the monitoring team, Mrs. Abiola Seriki-Ayeni.
She stated that the schools visited on the first day of the WASSCE complied with all examination procedures and emphasised the need for school owners to maintain compliance with all stipulated health safety guidelines.
In her words: “We must not compromise standard but must ensure that there are checks in place against examination malpractice as well as against the spread of COVID-19 in all schools. The schools’ management must disinfect the environment and make sure students sign in on arrival”.
Noting the importance of adherence to guarantee the safety of students as the West African Senior School Certificate Examinations begin in Lagos State, Mrs. Seriki-Ayeni reiterated that schools are expected to have sanitation managers that will ensure all environmental and health protocols are observed.
She explained that the exercise, which cuts across the six education districts, is aimed at supervising the ongoing examinations to guard against malpractices and ensure that public and private schools meet the recommended safety standards for reopening.
Seriki-Ayeni averred that the Office monitoring teams are also to assist schools objectively in assessing the level of safety and security as well as help identify areas of desired improvement while encouraging the schools to take concrete steps in addressing the developments.
Advising all schools across Lagos to shun examination malpractice in any guise as the WASSCE begins, the Director-General enjoined all public and private school leaders to continue to make adequate safety provision for the students by ensuring the use of face masks during examinations, washing of hands with soap in running water and maintaining physical distancing inside the examination halls.
Source: LASG
