The House of Representatives has asked the federal government to postpone school resumption for three months in view of the increasing cases of COVID-19.
The lower chamber of the National Assembly lamented that allowing schools to resume tomorrow as planned would ultimately endanger the lives of students.
It also faulted claims by government officials that relevant committees of the National Assembly were consulted before arriving at the January 18 resumption date for schools.
Chairman of the House Committee on Basic Education and Services, Prof Julius Ihonvbere who made the disclosure in an interview said until necessary safety measures were put in place, it will be out of place to open schools.
“They did not consult us; at least in my committee, nobody from the ministry spoke to me. I have been in Abuja. And I am not sure that they spoke to any of my members. They just don’t see us as part of the critical stakeholders,” he said.
Ihonvbere, in a statement he issued in Abuja on Saturday, on behalf of his committee, opposed the Monday resumption date.
The statement was titled “School resumption: Are we truly prepared?”
It read, “The Committee on Basic Education and Services, House of Representatives, has received with concern the decision of the Federal Government to reopen schools on January 18, 2021.
“We are particularly concerned that when the infection rates hovered around 500 and under, schools were closed; but now that it hovers well above 1,000 infections daily, schools are being reopened. Why are we rushing to reopen schools without adequate verifiable and sustainable arrangements to protect and secure our children?”
This Post: Reps kick against school resumption, seek three-month postponement was approved and published by Ancity Media Editor and may not be republished elsewhere without prior written permission from the Editor.
