COVID-19: FG Disclose Guidelines to Reopening Schools

In a 36-page document submitted to the Senate by the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, the Federal Government has set up conditions for reopening schools.

The document obtained is titled: “Guidelines for schools and learning facilities reopening after COVID-19 pandemic closure.”

The Minister, in his forward to the document, described the conditions as key strategies for implementing safe, efficient, and equitable plans for school reopening and operations.

He noted: “Given that COVID-19 may be with us for a while, the guidelines also highlight the urgent need to maintain and improve upon distance learning programmes.”

He added 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 schools and learning facilities for quality teaching and learning.

A major plank of the conditionalities is that schools must “create immediate temporary” COVID-19 “isolation space” before they can be considered to reopen.

Schools are also mandated to “ensure the establishment of a School COVID-19 Referral System including protocols and procedures to take if learners, teachers, administrators and other education personnel become unwell while in schools.”

Schools are also to establish and adequately equip dispensaries and clinics as appropriate.