The calls for schools to resume this year is gradually taking another turn.
Perhaps an interesting twist yet.
In this special TalkScholarship report on schools reopening, you’ll find out the latest on school resumption as at September 1, 2020.
Schools to reopen in September – Osun state government
The Osun state government has announced resumption of academic activities in institutions in Osun state from Monday 21 September, 2020.
This was contained in a statement by the state Commissioner of Information, Mrs. Funke Egbemode on Monday 31 August, and made available on their official Twitter page.
According to the information commissioner, the decision to reopen schools was reached at the state executive meeting.
However, schools in Osun should abide by the safety guidelines set by the federal government.
Tertiary institutions in Osun state among who are affected by this directive include:
- Osun State University, Osogbo (UNIOSUN).
- Osun State Polytechnic, Iree.
- Osun State College of education, Ilesa.
The commissioner also revealed that schools in the state will go on break from Thursday 24 December, 2020 – Monday 4 January, 2021.
This is to make sure lost grounds on academics are restored, she added.
Kogi state announce full resumption of schools
In the same way, Kogi state government has directed primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions in the state to resume from Monday 14 September, 2020.
This was contained in a statement by the Kogi commissioner for Education, Mr. Wemi Jones on Tuesday 1 September.
Tertiary institutions in Kogi state directed to open fully include:
- Prince Abubakar Audu University, Anyigba (KSU).
- Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja.
- Kogi State College of Education, Ankpa.
According to the commissioner, all schools in the state are to resume academic activities fully.
ASUU kick against resumption of schools
Meanwhile, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has again kicked against plans and moves to reopen schools across the country.
ASUU’s reason, it gave, was that steps have not been taken to protect students from the ravaging pandemic. And as a result, there would be consequences should schools resume now.
This, the union revealed through its various regional chapters on Monday 31 August at the end of their conference. A conference that was monitored by Punch, Channels, Vanguard, and Premium Times.
In fact, ASUU called it “suicidal” for schools to reopen now without government heeding their advice, hence they’re strongly opposed to any plans to reopen schools.
According to ASUU on their verified Twitter page, “reopening universities without taking concrete steps would be suicidal.
“While the government made arrangements for special bailout funds for airline operators and other private entities, no such arrangement was made for public universities.
“Therefore, the government should be ready to rake responsibility for any negative consequence after reopening universities, the statement added.
ASUU also opined that the glaring sign that public schools were not ready to reopen was the poor response universities gave NUC when the commission requested for their readiness to resume.
In the same way, the Calabar chapter of ASUU berated plans by the government to reopen schools without putting the necessary infrastructures in place.
Recall that Lagos state government last week directed tertiary institutions in Lagos to reopen from Monday 14 September.
A move that was lauded by stakeholders in the education sector as well as the Lagos zone of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).
You might want to check out:
- Universities, Poly, Colleges in Lagos to resume September
- FG set to reopen schools as NANS urges resumption
FG advises states not to reopen schools in a hurry
Meanwhile, the Federal Government on Monday 31 August advised state governments not to rush reopening of schools.
This was contained in a statement by the Secretary to the federal government and also the chairman, presidential task force (PTF) on the pandemic, Boss Mustapha.
According to Mustapha, the federal government appreciate calls from various well meaning Nigerians and stakeholders for schools to resume.
He added that, the government was not against schools resuming but that it is taking things one step at a time. This is to avoid a case where tertiary institutions resume and the number of positive cases triple.
Boss Mustapha further mentioned that new guidelines will be released on Thursday 3 September as the task-force submit its report to President Buhari.
Is school really opening this month?
Well, the Federal government has not released resumption date for federal institutions yet. Though, schools in Lagos, Osun, and Kogi states are reopening this month starting Monday 14th September, 2020.
It is hoped that the pendulum swings in the favor of the majority of Nigerian students when the Federal government gives new guidelines this week.
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Maxwell is a Dietitian with passion for showing people hope. With nearly a decade experience helping people make key decisions on education and career, you can find him almost everywhere on this site. From answering admission and scholarship questions to creating tutorials and helping others live their best lives though nutrition. Connect with me on Twitter.