The Federal Government has issued guidelines ahead of the planned resumption of schools in the country.
The guidelines, which failed to disclose the date of school
resumption, was signed by the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu
and Minister of State (Education), Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba. It
was developed in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Environment,
Federal Ministry of Health and health safety experts in the country
The guidelines outlined actions, measures and requirements needed for
the safe reopening of schools after the coronavirus pandemic.
The guidelines released today, July 13, requires that students should
be aided to maintain social distancing and stay at least 2 meters
apart.
The guidelines dealt extensively on plans for school reopening and
operations, including attendance, social distancing, hygiene, cleaning,
and non-pharmaceutical interventions for safe and healthy school
activities and programmes.
Mallam Adamu explained that the need to develop the guidelines became
imperative, "given that COVID – 19 may be with us for a while."
On social distancing in shools, the document reads, "However, there
are exceptions where the two-meter rule cannot be reasonably applied and
other risk mitigation strategies may be adopted. Examples include early
years, younger primary school children, and those with additional
needs.
"In these circumstances, risk assessments must be undertaken with the
best interests of the learners, teachers, and other education personnel
in mind. The scenarios require organizing learners and children into
small groups with consistent membership and compliance with the risk
mitigation strategies. The membership of these groups should not change
unless the NCDC public health guideline suggests otherwise."
With the release of the guidelines, the government would conduct a
rapid assessment and determine funding requirement for upgrading
infrastructure and facilities such as classrooms, furniture, Water,
Sanitation and Hygiene-WASH and ICT facilities to meet and sustain
prescribed safe school reopening requirements.
Notable among the items in the guidelines are recommendations for the
review of existing policies, practices, and risk mitigation strategies
in the use of schools for other purposes, such as distance learning
centres, temporary shelters, isolation, quarantine and treatment
centres, markets, voting centres, among others.
The document adds: "COVID – 19 pandemic poses an enormous risk to the
health and safety of learners, teachers, parents, school
administrators, education practitioners, and the wider community…More
than 1.5 billion children and young people globally have been affected
by school and university closures.
"As a responsible government, it is also our duty to provide
comprehensive guidelines for a safe and hitch-free reopening of schools
and learning facilities. We do so knowing that the health, safety, and
security of learners, teachers, education personnel, and families are
priorities."
Adamu said the guidelines also highlight the urgent need to maintain and improve upon distance-learning programmes.
Adamu said: "Our aim is to identify and strengthen programmes that
will guarantee the recovery of learning gaps resulting from the
pandemic.
"The guidelines were drafted in close coordination with health,
environmental, education, and school safety experts who were tasked with
the responsibility of charting a pathway for safely reopening our
schools and learning facilities for quality teaching and learning."
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