Governor Sanwo-Olu Announces Dates For Reopening Of Schools In Lagos

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has directed all state-owned tertiary institutions to resume on September 14, 2020.

The governor who gave the order on Saturday, said tertiary institutions will re-open from September 14, while primary and secondary schools are tentatively billed for re-opening from September 21.

According to him, “this decision is not cast in stone and is subject to review of our ongoing modelling and what procedure comes out from the Ministry of Health.”

The students, under the aegis of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria, Lagos State Area Unit, have expressed pleasure and commended the state government for the reopening.

The Amir (president) of the MSSNLagos, Miftahudeen Thanni, made this known in a press statement on Sunday. He said:

“We are joyous with this development. However, we appeal that basic amenities should be provided. Considering that markets and other open places have been opened, there would be no convincing reason to shut schools down.

“But we must ensure that schools are well-prepared to accommodate these pupils and ensure that this does not lead to community transmission.

“We urge the government to provide the required facilities and ensure thorough compliance with COVID-19 guidelines.

“While we call for the cooperation of parents, teachers, lecturers, and students in ensuring that the government does not regret reopening schools.”

The students reiterated calls for the provision of palliatives to private schools in the state.

“We also appeal to government across all levels to assist private schools with palliatives. This will help to cushion the effect of COVID-19 on the schools and their teachers. This has been done in other sectors and education should not be left out.

“We are scared that there may be a massive job loss in many private schools with COVID-19 not likely to go away any time soon,” the statement added.

KanyiDaily recalls that the Federal Government had insisted that schools remain closed since in March as part of measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country.