Imo Government Insists Schools Should Remain Closed, Says ‘Environment Unsafe For Students’

Imo State Government has insisted that all private and public schools in the state should remain closed, saying the environment is not yet conducive for students due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A statement from the office of State’s Ministry of Education, the Commissioner for Education, Prof. B.T.O Ikegwuoha stated that the federal Ministry of Education did not mandate all the 36 states to reopen their schools at the same time.

He said that the directive earlier given by the Minister of State for Education, Chukwumeka Nwajiuba, was that all the 36 states can reopen their schools after September 17, 2020, based on the peculiarities of individual States.

Prof. Ikegwuoha advised the general public to disregard the “baseless and ridiculous” claims made by the opposition party that the Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma has shut down Imo schools forever.

The government, according to him, was more concerned about the safety of the students and was continuously putting more measures in place to prevent the Covid-19 pandemic from affecting the school children when they eventually commence.

He disclosed that the state Executive Council has mandated the Commissioner for Health to expedite immediate actions and present the result/report of compulsory community testing in all the 27LGAs of the State within a period of one week to enable the government give assent to the reopening of schools in the State.

The Education Commissioner appealed to the students of Imo State to exercise a little more patience, reassuring them that that schools will be reopened within the shortest possible time.

KanyiDaily recalls that earlier this month, President Muhammadu Buhari directed state governments and educational institutions to work towards potentially full reopening of schools.