7 States Shun Federal Government's Directives On School Resumption

Following the directives by the Federal Government that all schools across the states should remain shut till January 18, 2021, in order to tame the spread of the second wave of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, about seven states government have shunned the directives.

AllNews gathered that states such as  Rivers, Cross River, Gombe, Sokoto, Zamfara, Delta, and Oyo states differed from the Federal Government’s directive. Kogi, Anambra, Plateau, and Ekiti said their schools would resume on  January 18.

The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, after the outbreak of COVID-19 second wave, said at its press conference on December 21, that all schools in the country would remain shut till January 18.

According to the PTF Chairman and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, who addressed the press conference, “The PTF on the advice of the Federal Ministry of Education, expects that schools would have vacated from the 18th December 2020 and remain closed till at least the 18th of January, 2021 to enable the measures introduced to take effect.”

The measures, according to the PTF, include social-distancing and installation of hand-washing materials amongst others.

However, the Cross River State Commissioner for Quality Education, Godwin Amanke on Sunday, said the state would not change its decision on the January 11 resumption of schools. Amanke said, “That is our original date on the timetable we rolled out last year.”

Speaking on the January 18 date fixed by the Federal Government for schools’ resumption, the commissioner said “Individual states are subject to their peculiar circumstances. We don’t have any imminent threat in the state to warrant such a shift.

“We will encourage schools to observe the necessary protocols. The parents have a role to play. The teachers have a role to play and children have a role to play.”

Also, the Chief Press Secretary to the Oyo State Governor, Taiwo Adisa, said the January 11 resumption date of schools in the state had not changed.

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In a similar vein, the state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Olasunkanmi Olaleye, said, “For now, the schools' resumption date remains January 11.”

The Gombe State Commissioner for Education, Dr.Habu Dahiru, said there was no going back on the January 11 resumption date for the schools in the state.

Dahiru, who stated this in an interview with the Punch, said the Federal Government’s January 18 resumption date was for states with high rates of COVID-19 infections.

He said, “Gombe’s resumption date is still 11th of January. Last time, due to COVID-19, the school calendar had to change. The local epidemiologist has not told me we are in great danger if we practice the COVID-19 protocols well just like we did when we opened schools earlier.

“Our school calendar states we are opening on the 11th of January. The Federal Government’s date is for places like  Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory, and Kaduna, where there is a surge.

“We have set up committees on COVID-19 protocols in schools. We will observe the guidelines by ensuring that soap and water as well as  face masks are available.”

The Zamfara State Commissioner of Education, Alhaji Ibrahim Abdullahi on their part said schools in the state started resuming on Sunday, 3rd, January 2021.

The commissioner said,  “We have already reopened our schools beginning from today, Sunday.  We have reopened our boarding schools today (Sunday), while the day schools will resume on Monday.

When asked why the state was not following the PTF’s recommendation that schools should not resume till Jan 18, the commissioner said, “PTF is not the one that gives us directives.

“My directive comes from my governor who asked us to reopen our schools which we have done and we are going to start the first term examination on Wednesday”.

Meanwhile, the Delta State Government also insisted on the January 11 resumption date, adding that the country was a federation. The Commissioner for Basic Education, Patrick Ukah,  had in a statement on Wednesday in Asaba, urged boarders to return on January 10 as classes would start on January 11

The commissioner on Sunday said the Secretary to the State Government, Chiedu Ebie, had issued a lot of statements about COVID-19  protocols and school resumption.

He said, “We are a federation. The Federal Government may have given a suggestion and advised that we can resume at a particular time. This is a federal system. It is not only Delta State that is resuming on January  11.  Some states are resuming  on Jan 4.”

In Sokoto State, this online news platform understands that the public schools owned by the state government would resume on Monday (today).

A ministry of education official said the state could not comply with PTF’s directive as academic activities were running smoothly in the state schools when the directive was issued.

The source said, “The directive, to my understanding, is for schools on holiday in some places and not public schools in Sokoto.

“You will agree that the outbreak of COVID-19 altered our school calendar and resumption was staggered nationwide.  The majority of our schools are starting their first term examination tomorrow, (Monday), and schools will go on break as from January 22, 2021, according to our calendar.”

Efforts to speak with the state Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Bello Guiwa, on the issue did not succeed as calls and messages sent to his telephone had yet to be replied as of the time of sending this report.

The Abia State Government had on Thursday said all public and private schools would resume on January 11. On its part, the Rivers State Government directed its schools to resume on Monday (today).