School Resumption: We’ll wait for Rivers’ directive – NAPPS

Tony John, Port Harcourt

Proprietors of Private Schools in Rivers State have said that they would not resume school activities as directed by the Federal Government, saying that they would wait for the directive of State Government.

The Federal Government had directed that all schools across the country resume classes Tuesday.

The Chairperson of National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Rivers State, Rebecca Dosumu, stressed that they would only resume when directed by the State Government.

Dosumu declared: ‘We cannot open schools until we hear from the State Government. But, the State Government has sent us a circular that we should get our schools ready according to NCDC guideline, which all private schools are doing right now. Their hands are on deck. Most of them are ready.

‘So, whenever the State Government wants to resume, we shall resume. We have to go according to the instructions from the State Government.

‘It is not counter-productive because, even while they were lockdown, we have them e-learning and other things,’ she noted.

Dosumu advised parents to provide necessary aids for their children to protect them from contracting COVID-19 when they will return to school.

Earlier, the State Commissioner for Education, Professor Kaniye Ebeku, had clarified that, while the State was yet to announce a date for reopening, the Ministry has commenced preparations for reopening of schools.

‘Well, the approach of the Rivers State Government is this way; we thought we should prepare the environment before inviting the students to come to the premises. We do not think it is reasonable for the students to just resume and enter a filthy environment with all the associated risks,’ he said.

‘Because of the need to protect the health of the students, we thought, first of all, we should prepare.’

Speaking further, Professor Ebeku expressed satisfaction with the level of preparedness of schools visited.

‘As you can see, I am on routine monitoring of the exercise of cleaning up of the school premises. So far so good; you can see that we have started to tidy up the environment and I have inspected the halls that are being prepared for the WAEC exams. I can tell you loud and clear that all is looking well and good,’ he said.

During the routine monitoring exercise, Professor Ebeku visited Government Girls Secondary School, Rumueme, Government Secondary Girls School, Rumuokwuta, Community Secondary School, Rumuepirikom, Hallel College and Brookstone Secondary School.