FINAL year pupils of both primary and secondary schools in Benue State resumed on Tuesday in preparation for their final examinations.
One of our correspondent, who went round some schools in Makurdi, the state capital, observed that pupils had yet to resume fully.
Some of the schools visited are Mt. St. Gabriel’s Secondary School, Government Secondary School, Government Model School, Arabic School and Holy Ghost School, LGEA Primary School, all in Makurdi.
At Mt. St. Gabriel Secondary School, Makurdi (a missionary school), the Principal, Rev. Fr. John Asen, said out of the 300 students expected, less than 100 had resumed on Tuesday.
“We have fumigated the schools and provided hand sanitisers and hand washing equipment in line with the COVID-19 protocol. Our students are being checked in at the gate. Our level of compliance is about 99 per cent.
“We are expecting almost 300 students back, but the number of students that came back today is not yet up to a hundred. They got the notice just last week and you know this is boarding school.”
Also, in Delta State, it was a low turnout in some secondary schools on Tuesday as students resumed academic activities in compliance with the COVID-19 protocols after four months shutdown.
Some of the returning students were visibly happy as they expressed joy over the resumption and promised that they would observe all the safety protocols.
The state government, in ordering the schools reopening, had put in place some stringent measures for the resuming students based on COVID-19 protocols put in placed by the NCDC to curtail the spread of the pandemic.
Speaking with journalists in Warri, the Zonal Coordinator of the Institute of Continuing Education, Warri Zone, Dr Ochuko Ushure, expressed the hope that more students would start coming to school despite the initial low turnout
According to him, about 147 students were expected to sit for the exams in the school.
In the Federal Capital Territory, schools on Tuesday re-opened following a directive by the FCT Education Secretariat.
One of our correspondents, who went around to monitor the preparedness of the schools for resumption, learnt that the students were given face masks and 500ml bottle of hand sanitiser each.
At the Government Secondary School, Byazhin, Senior Secondary 3 students were seen wearing face masks.
However, thermometers were not in use when The PUNCH visited the premises, although a hand-washing point was located at the gate and another one in front of the administrative building.
Some students, who failed to wear face masks and others said to have plaited unapproved hair styles, were prevented from entering the premises.
In Ogun State, private and public secondary schools reopened on Tuesday for students in the exit class in compliance with the directive of the state government.
The state governor, Dapo Abiodun, had on Wednesday, directed that the schools be opened for the students in the SS3 classes to enable them take the West African Senior School Certificate Examination scheduled to commence on August 17.
The PUNCH had visited some schools in the Abeokuta metropolis on Tuesday and observed that all the schools had hand-washing buckets and sanitisers at their entrances, corridors and other strategic points.
Students who wore face masks were also seated in such a way that there was enough distance among them.
Some of the schools visited are Abeokuta Grammar School, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta; Baptist Boys High School, Isaje; Abeokuta Girls Grammar School, Onikolobo.
Speaking, the principal of Ijemo Titun High School, Lateef Adeboye, said, “We started by cleaning the compound, fumigated the entire school compound and we placed buckets of water, soaps and hand sanitisers at different places for the students to wash their hands from time to time.”
A student of Ijeun Titun High School, Taiwo Olarenwaju, expressed excitement over the resumption.
In Cross Rivers State, some schools in were still getting fully prepared for resumption of SSS3 students when one of our correspondents visited them on Tuesday.
In some of the schools, such as Hope Waddel Training Institution in Diamond Hill, Calabar, students were seen cleaning the classrooms, while the school authorities were placing bucket taps at strategic locations for hand-washing.
The school also erected four water taps close to the entrance of the school for hand washing.
Bayelsa vows to close illegal school
But the situation was different in Bayelsa State as the government vowed to close private schools not registered with the Ministry of Education as schools resume on Wednesday (today).
Diri gave this indication on Tuesday in Yenagoa while inaugurating a 10-member Committee on Safe Re-Opening of Schools and Train the Trainer Programme.
However, in Osun State, government on Tuesday said it had commenced fumigation of all 188 public schools that would present students for external examinations, as well as some privately owned ones.
A statement by Toyin Adeoye, the Press Officer attached to the Ministry of Environment, quoted the Commissioner for Environment and Sanitation, Sola Oladepo, as saying the government engaged 15 fumigation teams for the exercise that commenced on Monday.
Rivers approves school reopening
In Rivers State, Governor Nyesome Wike approved the reopening of secondary schools with effect from Wednesday (today).
This was contained in a special government announcement by the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Kaniye Ebeku, on Tuesday.
The statement said the governor’s directive followed satisfactory preparation for the re-opening of schools in the State.
The governor also said the reopening was to enable the candidates in exit classes only to return to school and revise with their teachers and write their exit examinations.
