The Federal Government says state governments and school administrators should start making preparations for the full reopening of schools in the country.
It, however, advised that the reopening should be done in phases or staged so as to avoid another outbreak of COVID-19 especially on vulnerable groups who are returning back to schools.
It could be recalled that the Federal Government in March shut down schools across the country, as part of measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
However, with the number in cases declining, the Federal Government on August 4, 2020 announced the resumption of SS3 and JSS 3, so as to write this year’s West African Senior School Certificate Examination, which was slated for August 17, 2020, through September 12, 2020.
But speaking on Thursday during a briefing at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, the National Coordinator of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19, Dr Sani Aliyu said the task force recommends phased return of students.
Aliyu said, “For educational institutions which include daycare, primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. Educational institutions should begin the process of working towards potentially reopening within this phase.
“However, strongly recommend that states conduct risk assessment to ensure all schools are at a level of compliance and create a monitoring mechanism to assess and create and monitor this level of preparedness.
“Meanwhile, all daycares and educational institutions to remain closed to in-classes until this level of risk is assessed. And if there will be opening of schools, it must be staged and preferably carried out in phases to ensure that this does not pose a risk to the general public and in particular to vulnerable groups that might end up getting infected by students going back home.”