As the #EndSARS protests became heightened with pockets of violence on Monday, the Lagos State Government has ordered the closure of public and private schools in the state indefinitely.
This decision was announced in a press statement by the state’s Head of Public Affairs, Ministry of Education, Kayode Abayomi, on Monday.
The statement entitled, “Lagos directs students to stay at home,” quited the Commissioner for Education, Mrs Folasade Adefisayo, as saying that the schools were shut down over “tension generated by the anti-SARS protests.”
The academic activities were affected in some schools in Lagos State on Monday as protests against police brutality and bad governance continue.
ALSO READ: Jailbreak in Benin as hoodlums set inmates free
Many students and teachers, had, earlier on Monday, encountered difficulty in getting to schools in the state, as there was also violence in the Yaba area of the state when some hoodlums attacked operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS).
There was literarily lockdown in some areas as the was no vehicular movement owing to blockade on the roads, which forced some of the pupils and teachers to trek long distances to get to schools.
The #EndSARS protesters had mounted roadblocks in strategic locations in the state in a bid to express their displeasure, and it was believed hoodlums have hijacked the protests in some locations in the state.
The statement read: “The Lagos State Government has directed all pupils/students in public and private schools to stay at home following the tension generated by the anti- SARS protests.
“Commissioner for Education, Mrs Folasade Adefisayo, who issued the directive today, said the safety of the pupils/students, parents and all staff working in schools is paramount at this critical period.
“She however advised parents to keep an eye on their wards and not allow them to be used as willing tools in the hands of those who might want to hijack the protests to unleash mayhem on the society.
“The Commissioner also encouraged schools to utilize other means of distance teaching and learning i.e radio, television and online media as they have been doing during and post the recent COVID-19 lockdown.
“According to Adefisayo, a new date of resumption for all classes will be announced as soon as possible.”
The Lagos State Government had approved that both public and private schools in the state can fully resume from Monday, October 19, 2020, as the schools in the state were previously closed to curb the spread of coronavirus in the state.
