For the love of the lives of Nigerian students, the federal government says it will not reopen it’s own schools.
It has also appealed to State governments to reconsider opening it’s own schools.
Minister of Education, Mr. Adamu Adamu declared: “As Minister of Education, if I’m given the choice, I don’t mind Nigeria losing a whole school year than exposing our children to danger. WAEC is a parastatal of the Ministry of Education, they cannot determine for the government what it does.”
At a briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid-19 on Monday, the Minister of State for Education, Hon. Emeka Nwajiuba, announced that schools would reopen for final year students to take the School Certificate Examinations between 3rd August and 4the September 2020.
But Adamu told journalists this Wednesday regarding comments by Nwajiuba, that schools would resume for final examinations, “I don’t know whether you journalists are misquoting the Minister of State for Education or maybe quoting what WAEC said and made it into a story. Schools under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Education will not be opened on August 4 or anytime soon.
“Our schools will only open when we believe it’s safe for our children and that is when the situation is right, not when the incidence of the infection is going up in the nation. I just want to make it clear.
“We will not open soon for examination or for any reason, unless it is safe for our children, even WAEC. WAEC will not determine for us what we do. Schools will remain closed.
“Yesterday (Tuesday) we called on stakeholders who will tell us the situation and the way it should be done for it to be safe. While the meeting was going on, WAEC announced that they are starting examinations. Let’s see who they are going to start with.
“I will also like to use this position to ask those states that have already announced (reopening), I appeal to them. I think it is not safe. I feel responsible for all children, not just those who are in federal government controlled schools. Please let’s save our children from this.
“One infected child is enough to infect a whole class. When they close from class they go into the dormitory, this is not the right time to open schools. I appeal to the states that have already announced to reconsider it.