With nearly 60,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country, schools will resume nationwide on 12 of October, 2020 after six months of closure due to coronavirus pandemic.
Following the official announcement by the Nigerian minister of education, a Radio Ndarason International reporter in Maiduguri the Borno State capital visits the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) for more clarification on the preparations made so far on schools reopening amid COVID-19 pandemic and the safety measures, but the director declined to grant her the interview.
Our reporter then visited some schools that already resumed two months ago for the final year students to write their examinations. She reported that very few students were wearing masks, and where there were handwashing facilities there wasn’t any water.
Parents also reacted as the federal government asks schools to resume classes six month after closure.
Ali Adam Mafoni and Malum Ari, both parents, while speaking to Radio Ndarason International said, they are well prepared and ready to send their children once school resumes, noting that they will complement the government effort to stop the spread of the virus by taking all the necessary measures put in place as parents to protect their children.
Falmata Mohammed, a mother of two in Maiduguri, expressed happiness over the resumption. She noted that the closure of schools for about six months was a great setback to their children and the education system in general.
Falmata called on parents to help their children observe the COVID-19 preventive measures as they go to school and asked teachers to organise some extra-classes for the students to fill the gap created by COVID-19 break.
Despite the announcement by the Federal government, Abba Ari Ladan the Secretary of Education Bama Chapter while speaking to Radio Ndarason International yesterday confirmed to our reporter that the Borno State government is yet to announce the exact date for school resumption.
A well-placed source, who spoke under condition of anonymity, told RNI that Borno State government plans to reopen schools on the 29th of October, 2020.
The decision to reopen schools has been made, after daily cases of COVID-19 declined sharply in the country. However, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 has warned that the decline in the cases doesn’t mean the pandemic is over. Meanwhile experts have attributed the decline in the daily cases to low testing capacity, so far, only 540,000 out of 200 million population get tested, urged the federal government to improve the testing capacity.
