FG, Lagos State, meet to work out modality for school opening 

THE Lagos State government is working out modalities for the resumption of schools after the ongoing lockdown of some sectors in the state occasioned by the COVID-19(Coronavirus) pandemic.

It explained that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu “cannot not unilaterally” announce schools’ reopening since the contagion did not affect Lagos alone.

The government disclosed that it had already started meeting with officials of the Federal Ministry of Education to design guidelines that would be adopted before students could return to their classrooms.

Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folashade Adefisayo, made this known while explaining government’s plans for education at an online show, Covinspiration show. The Online show was moderated by a United Nations (UN) Youth Ambassador, Dayo Isreal, to keep the public abreast of the administration’s activities in the last one year.

Adefisayo said the government, which also plans to recruit additional 2,000 teachers, was watching the behaviour of COVID-19 to determine the next step to take.

Her words: “This (school resumption} is not a decision that any state can unilaterally take on its own. If we are certain that the children are safe, we will reopen the schools for learning to resume.

“We are already working with the Federal Ministry of Education and they are working with National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) on the guidelines that could be adopted when the need arises for the schools to reopen.

“After the protocol is completed and health officials assure us that the coast is clear, we will give the schools some days to adjust their premises in accordance with the guidelines on commencement of academic activities.”

She added that the government had concluded plans to employ at least 2,000 teachers in another few months to boost the standard of public primary school education in the state.

This, according to her, is in addition to the 1,000 teachers earlier recruited by the government.

“Aside from recruitment, we have spent a lot on the training of current teachers to improve their teaching skills. And this COVID-19 period was the time when we were able to do a lot of things in the Education sector,” she added.