The Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 (PTF) has assured Nigerian children that all hands are on deck to reopen the schools at a safe time and urged States, local governments, proprietors and other stakeholders to begin to take steps that will facilitate an early and safe reopening.

Speaking at the daily Press conference Wednesday in Abuja, Minister of State for Education, Barry. Emeka Nwajiuba said that until the government is sure that these children can go to school, return safely without bringing this Covid-19 material, it will not take that risk of reopening the schools yet.

Nwajiuba who observed that the announcement that schools are reopening on 8th June 2020 did not emanate from the government said that the government will work with the guidance of experts and the World Health Organization (WHO) before it reopens the schools adding that that the Federal Ministry of Education will publish a kind of Post-COVID guidelines for school reopening in spite of Covid-19, disclosed that we want all our children to come into schools by the time they will be able to do physical distancing.

The minister said the government is working on a model to ensure that all the children do not return to their schools at the same time to ensure physical and social distancing as well as proper sanitation and hygiene at every school.

Nwajiuba said the government is working on a model to ensure that all the children do not return to their schools at the same time to ensure physical and social distancing as well as proper sanitation and hygiene at every school.

According to him, “The plan entails adopting a two-shift system and allowing those who will write exams to return earlier than others.
Use this period to upgrade skills and think of how to make their teachings impactful. Those running the secondary schools should think of what to do so that when

“We are looking at sanitary conditions of all the schools. SUBEB should use some of the monies we give them to upgrade sanitary conditions in schools. We are also looking at having sanitization booths working with NASENI. It is a forewarning to private and State governments to ensure that these things are put in place before schools can reopen”

He urged state governments and owners of private schools to plan ahead on how to ensure maximum safety for students when the resumption plan is unveiled.