Richard Ginika Izuora
The Kogi State Government has announced Monday, September 14, 2020 as the reopening date for all schools starting from primary to tertiary levels in the North central State.
The State Commissioner for Education, Science, and Technology, Mr. Wemi Jones, announced this Tuesday in Lokoja, the state capital.
Jones disclosed that the government arrived at the decision after a series of interactions with relevant stakeholders and assessment of private and public schools to ascertain their level of preparedness and safety for reopening.
The Commissioner however advised that all heads of schools should ensure full compliance to COVID-19 protocols, which had been clearly set out by the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on the deadly virus, noting that the details and guidelines by the PTF are available in the public space.
“The ministry will review the state’s academic calendar accordingly, to reflect on the new development. The details will be worked out and released to the relevant stakeholders in due course before resumption.
“However, we encourage that all relevant education stakeholders like ANCOPSS, ASSUS, SUBEB, NAPPS, heads of tertiary institutions in Kogi State, NUT, STETSCOM, and every other stakeholder are very free to liaise with us at the ministry for further clarification.
“We are equally informing the general public, parents, guardians, and schools heads that we are very particular about the health and safety of our learners in Kogi State.
“So, the state government will not stop at anything to ensure that our learners are kept in good condition as far as the Covid-19 pandemic and indeed other diseases or health issues are concerned,” Mr. Jones restated.