COVID-19: There Is No Basis For Reopening Schools

The President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof Abiodun Ogunyemi, has faulted the move to reopen schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Monday, the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, had said President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the reopening of schools nationwide.

But Prof Ogunyemi is not in support of the move, saying the Federal Government has not put in place safety measures to curtail the spread of COVID-19 in schools.

According to him, every strata of government has to be carried along in the move to reopen the learning centres.

“The ministry (Federal), state ministries, have responsibilities; state education boards have responsibilities, local education boards have responsibilities; the thing has to trickle down,” he said on Wednesday during Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.

“You don’t put something on nothing, and that is what we have been saying.

“The basis for reopening schools is not there yet. The government must go back to the drawing board. They have to put what they have to put in place before they open our schools.”

The ASUU leader claimed that “nobody is talking about tertiary institutions,” but admitted that “one way or the other, we will come to talk about it.”

He also lamented that classes at all levels in public schools are congested and wondered how social distancing will be observed.

“We are saying they need to go back to the drawing board,” he restated.