The Federal Ministry of Education in conjunction with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Committee on Safe School Re-opening has began a process for the development of school reopening readiness template.
Mrs. Azuka Menkiti, Education Specialist, UNICEF, made this known in Kaduna, at the opening of a three-day technical Meeting of the Committee on Safe School Re-opening, yesterday.
She said this was to guide the re-opening of schools across the country.
The meeting was organised by the Federal Ministry of Education, with support from UNICEF, to put measures in place for safe re-opening of schools.
Menkiti explained that the template would identify actions that would be implemented at every level of education governance, to ensure that schools were safe for students and pupils to return and learn.
She said the template would look at four components, namely safety operations; quality of learning; child protection and wellbeing; and inclusiveness.
“The meeting was, therefore, organised to develop a standard, actionable, and practical integrated school re-opening readiness template that will provide the necessary support to stakeholders for safe reopening of schools.
“This integrated approach will ensure that all relevant stakeholders use the template to measure readiness for school resumption amidst COVID-19 pandemic.
“We equally want to chart a way forward for safe learning facilities for quality teaching and learning. This will ensure that safety measures are put in place in schools, learning continues, and gaps are filled for students and pupils, child protection and wellbeing assured, and no one is left behind,” she said.
The education specialist said that at the end of the meeting, the committee would come up with a template showing the requirement that every school governance structure needs to put in place.
She added that the committee would equally develop a cost model, indicating how much it would cost to implement the template across different categories of schools based on population.
The cost model will serve as a guide for the interventions of development partners and other stakeholders in the education sector.
Hajiya Binta Abdulkadir, Director, Basic and Secondary Education Department, Federal Ministry of Education, said the step was necessary, stressing that children cannot continue to stay at home.
Abdulkadir, who was represented by Mrs Josephine Nwaobiara, Deputy Director, Basic and Secondary Education stressed the need for continuity of learning in times of emergencies.
Dr Yahya Disu, Head, Risk Communication Division, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, also emphasised the need for effective communication and information sharing across all levels in the education sector.
Disu added that the readiness template would ensure strong linkage among education stakeholders that would enhance prevention, early detection, and contact tracking of suspected cases of COVID-19 in schools.
Meanwhile, the Calabar Zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has accused vice chancellors of public Universities of manipulating the processes of appointments and promotions in the system.
Its Chairman, Dr. Aniekan Brown, at a media briefing in Uyo, yesterday, specifically accused the university administrators of “rigging the processes. It will shock you to know that in the face of the ongoing industrial dispute by ASUU, COVID-19 lockdown and closure of schools, particularly Universities, some VCs are rigging the processes of appointments and promotions.
“In some cases, these illegalities are carried out with the active connivance of staff of IPPIS. Our union will expose these actions and work toward invalidating products of any rigged process.
“There are procedures for appointments and promotions in the University system. But these VCs are conniving with IPPIS staff to raise new sets of appointments. The qualifications of some of those promoted are in doubt,” Brown claimed.
Brown claimed that the VCs were conniving with the staff of the IPPIS, taking advantage of the closure of universities and the COVID-19 lockdown to achieve their plans.
“Some universities serving as cash cows to government are clamouring for reopening. The very impetus for this is to continually exploit Nigerians via school fees. Regrettably, there is no evidence that the COVID-19 protocols and adversaries will be enforced.
“One thing is obvious, they do not care about the safety and lives of Nigerians; all they care is how to exploit the system for their personal benefits. They are capitalists. They are given to cupidity. With this, we have blown the whistle.”