Emmanuel Olorunsola
The Nigerian government has reversed its earlier decision to reopen schools, stating that no Nigerian school will participate in the West African Senior School Certificate Examinations earlier scheduled for August 4 to September 5.
The West African Examination Council had postponed the regional examination following the outbreak of COVID-19, which led to the closure of all the schools in the country.
The Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, had earlier in the week, announced that the examination would now hold between August 4 and September 5, noting that schools would be disinfected anytime from now to prepare them for reopening. He had also urged the state governments to reopen their schools to enable the students to revise their books before the examination.
READ ALSO: FG concludes plans to disinfect schools before reopening
However, the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, told State House Correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday that Nigerian schools will not reopen until it is safe to do so because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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He said final year students preparing for the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) will not be allowed to return to school contrary to the earlier announcement.
READ ALSO: Federal Government announces commencement of WAEC exams
Adamu said the Nigerian government would prefer its students to lose an academic year than expose them to danger, adding that WAEC cannot determine the resumption date of schools for Nigeria.
Debunking the earlier reported credited to Nwajiuba, Adamu said, “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, not even for WASSCE. WAEC will not determine for us what we do. Schools will remain closed.
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“Yesterday 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 were 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.
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“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.”
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