The Federal Government says it has initiated the process of decontaminating and disinfecting schools across the country before reopening them for academic activities.
Minister of the Environment, Muhammad Mahmood, who disclosed this said his ministry would liaise with the Federal Ministry of Education to get required data to conduct the exercise.
He spoke while responding to questions at the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 briefing in Abuja, saying he was hopeful that the country would get to the level where the schools would be reopened.
Government had earlier announced that it could not determine for now a definite date for reopening schools nationwide, especially with the coronavirus pandemic escalating in the country.
He added that his ministry had also been involved in the sensitization of Nigerians on measures to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Mahmood said, “We are initiating a programme of decontaminating and disinfecting our schools before they open subsequently, because I believe we will get to the point where we will reopen our schools.
“We will be liaising with the Federal Ministry of Education to make sure we have the needed data to map out the exercise,” he said.Video Player is loading.
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The Federal Government had ordered indefinite closure of educational institutions nationwide as part of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, speaking in Abuja recently said government would not want to jeopardize the lives of the school children and their families by reopening the schools now.
He said: “Government is trying to address the issue of opening the economy gradually. Until that is done, we can’t say immediately when schools will be reopened.
“It will not be proper to simply give you a date. It has to work in tandem with this opening scheme, because we don’t want to put our children at risk in any way. None of these schools can on their own function outside the society.
“It is the same thing when you asked the second question, which is when do we plan to have children going to the next classes? Those examinations will happen when we are satisfied that the children have got the syllabus and learnt what is enough for them to move.
“But for those who are in the exit classes of junior basic and senior secondary schools, we are preparing them and we are going to continue to prepare them to ensure that they are equipped for the external examination.”
Nigerian Tribune
