Niger directs schools to resume academic activities January 25

Niger State Government has said it has adjusted its 2020/2021 academic session first term calendar, earlier slated to commence on Monday, January 4, 2021, to Monday, January 25, 2021, saying the new date is the resumption date of academic activities in all basic and secondary schools in the state.

Commissioner, Ministry of Education, Hajiya Hannatu Jibrin Salihu stated this at the weekend during an interactive session with the newsmen in Minna, the state capital, adding that this was as a result of the problems of Covid-19 being monitored by the government at the national and local level in order to guarantee the safety of the school managers, teachers and learners altogether.

She said: “With the report of the sad wave of Covid-19 and the spike of the global pandemic, the ministry felt obliged to approach the challenges of the pandemic with caution. This we stayed action on the resumption of schools, as initially scheduled to watch the situation and align with the direction expected to be provided by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and other relevant health authorities.”

Hajiya Salihu further argued that while the state government was in tune with Monday, January 18, 2021 date set for the resumption of schools across the country, the state government chose to be on the safe side of caution.

According to her, the one week interval was to enable all schools to put necessary protective measures in place, adding that parents, students and pupils were expected to make provisions to comply with Covid-19 protocols in full, saying, “that on resumption, principals, teachers and students must ensure full compliance with the following standard Covid-19 protocols which include: maintaining physical distancing by avoiding oversized classes and overcrowded areas i.e. no assemblies, visiting days or large gatherings of any kind.”

The commissioner also advocated for proper wearing of facemasks, at all time within and outside the schools and periodically within the schools by parents, students, pupils and others, as well as adherence to prevention protocols particularly constant washing and or sanitizing of hands for all those entering schools and periodically within the schools.

Others include carrying out temperature checks for all those entering schools and periodically within the schools as well as activating and deploying in full, all Covid-19 protocols put in place during the first wave of the pandemic such as drop and pick-up points and provisions of holding rooms on resumption.

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