President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the reopening of all Nigerian schools as the country enters into the third phase of the National Response on COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.
The National Coordinator of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19, Dr. Sani Aliyu, made this known on Thursday during the body’s briefing.
The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID 19, and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, had earlier submitted its Seventh Report to President Buhari, while he later informed during his briefing that all the PTF proposals were approved by the President.
It was during his briefing at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, that Aliyu informed that the task force recommended phased return of students to classrooms.
He 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.
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However, we strongly recommend that states conduct risk assessment to ensure all schools are at a level of compliance and create a monitoring mechanism to assess, create and monitor this level of preparedness.
“Meanwhile, all daycares and educational institutions are 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.”
