The federal government Wednesday reversed its decision to reopen schools across the country for graduating students to write examinations.
Addressing State House correspondents at the end of the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, Minister of Education, Mr Adamu Adamu, said no school in the country would participate in the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) scheduled to take place from August 5, 2020, to September 5, 2020.
He said Nigerian schools would not reopen any time soon until it is safe to do so because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said final year students preparing for the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) would not be allowed to return to school as announced earlier.
He said the West African Examinations Council cannot determine resumption dates of schools for Nigeria. He said the government would prefer that Nigerian students lose an academic year than to expose them to dangers.
“I don’t know whether you journalists are misquoting the Minister of State for Education or maybe quoting what WAEC said and made it into a story. Schools under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Education will not be opened on August 4 or anytime soon.
“Our schools will only open when we believe it’s safe for our children and that is when the situation is right, not when the incidence of the infection is going up in the nation. I just want to make it clear.
“We will not open soon for examination or for any reason, unless it is safe for our children, even WAEC. WAEC will not determine for us what we do. Schools will remain closed.
“Yesterday (Tuesday) we called on stakeholders who will tell us the situation and the way it should be done for it to be safe. While the meeting was going on, WAEC announced that they are starting examinations. Let’s see who they are going to start with.
“I will also like to use this position to ask those states that have already announced (reopening), I appeal to them. I think it is not safe. I feel responsible for all children, not just those who are in federal government controlled schools. Please let’s save our children from this.
“One infected child is enough to infect a whole class. When they close from class they go into the dormitory, this is not the right time to open schools. I appeal to the states that have already announced to reconsider it.
“When asked if Nigeria will be the only country to miss out of the WAEC examinations, he said “me as Minister of Education, if I’m given the chance, I don’t mind Nigeria losing a whole school year than exposing our children to danger. WAEC is a parastatal of the Ministry of Education, they cannot determine for the government what it does,” he said.
The minister said the Federal Executive Council has approved an agreement between Kaduna Polytechnic and an investor to renovate 18 blocks of student hostels.
The contract which is a 15-year concession at N744.2 million, is under a Renovate Operate, Maintain and Transfer (ROMT) arrangement.
“It will take one year to construct the hostels, after which the contractor will run it for 15 years within which they will recover what they have sunk into the project.
“There are 18 blocks of hostels and each room in a block will house four students. The total number of students to be housed will be 4,032,” he said.
