The Kogi State Government, on Monday, expressed satisfaction with the level of compliance by schools who resumed academic activities across the state.
The Kogi State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Wemi Jones, disclosed this while speaking to Tribune Online after monitoring some schools in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.
He said they are in the schools to confirm the level of compliance based on the directive issued last week that schools in Kogi State must resume work with effective from Monday.
According to him, “So far, we are very pleased with compliance. Usually, the first day of resumption won’t attract so many students, but what we have seen here and the feelers we are getting across the state through my monitoring teams is very impressive and encouraging.”
He reiterated the government position that Kogi State is free from COVID-19 pandemic.
The Commissioner averred further that, it is on record that no student had been reported to contact coronavirus or had lost their lives when schools resumed some months back in the state.
He maintained that the ministry will ensure that schools observe the safety protocols of COVID-19 set aside by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
“We have done this before, even when the whole country was locked down for months. We were able to resume and there was no panic anywhere in the state. It is on record that no student has died of coronavirus. I don’t have any such report.
“I believe that the situation is even milder because, if it were to be worst, the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 will not direct states across the federation to open school. If the situation were to be that terrible, the directive would have been otherwise. So far, we are satisfied with what we have seen so far,” he stated.
Some of the schools visited by the commissioner in Lokoja includes Bishop Delisle College, Crowder Memorial College, St Luke Adankolo, UBE Junior Secondary School Adankolo, St Clement Minor Seminary, Government Day Secondary School School, Adankolo, Muslim community Secondary School.
Speaking in a separate interview, the Principals of Bishop Delisle College, Lokoja, Mrs Mary Bola Boro, and the Principal, Crowder Memorial College, Mabel Ogunmola, were both impressed with the turn out of students in their first day in school.
They said the students have been told to always observe social distancing, put on their face mask, make use of hand sanitisers and always watch their hands with soap and water.
Meanwhile, the Kogi State Chairman, Academic Staffs Union of Secondary Schools, (ASUSS), Comrade Ronti Ojo, has bemoaned on some state who had failed to resume schools over the fear of further spread of COVID-19 in the country.
Ojo, while speaking to Tribune Online said it will be further disastrous to close schools in the country, as the nations educational system is crumbling down gradually due to the ravaging coronavirus pandemic.
He maintained that, if other agencies in the country are functioning effectively in the wave of the pandemic, it will be disheartening and disservice to the future of Nigerian students if the government continue to close schools after wasting a whole academic session.
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