The Kaduna state government said it has spent over N200 million to prepare for the 2020 West African Examination Council (WAEC), as 88,775 SSS3 students prepare to write their final year exam, during the Covid-19 pandemic, starting from next Monday.
The state government expressed readiness to ensure a hitch free examination, noting that all Covid-19 protocols have been followed both by the public and private schools for the 106,000 students and teachers, ahead of the examinations, to ensure that the examinations do not lead to spike in cases in the state.
Kaduna state Commissioner for Education, Hon. Shehu Usman Mohammed, who disclosed this in an interview with Blueprint on Thursday in Kaduna, said though, he led a meeting of Northern States Commissioners of Education to declare that they were not ready for schools to resume last month, they have used the intervening period to prepare and they are now ready for their students to write WAEC.
“We want to prepare the schools both government and private, we want the schools, parents, teachers and students to prepare. We are providing 106,000 face masks for students and teachers, hand sanitisers, fumigation of the schools, we had to provide permanent wash hand basins, reduce the bushes around schools, what we did after the meeting was to request for more time.
“Though we are still calculating and putting together our figures from the agencies, Kaduna state government has spent over N200 million in preparation for the resumption of final year students for their final examinations.
“The Kaduna state government has invited SSS3 students back to classrooms using this week for revision and treating past question papers. There are 44,775 SSS3 students of public schools and 43,000 SSS3 students of private schools in Kaduna state.
“We have followed all Covid-19 protocols; provide face masks to both teachers and students, wash hand facilities, soap, hand sanitisers, infrared thermometers, social distancing both in the classrooms and at the dormitories. We have demonstrated and put into practice the Covid-19 protocols. We want the schools to create an isolation center for anyone that tested positive to the virus.
“All candidates from public and private schools will sit for their examinations whether they tested negative or positive. But any student who tested positive will write their examinations in an isolated environment. We advise parents to equip their children with face masks and 10mls hand sanitisers.
“I’m impressed by what I have seen from the arrangements from principals, teachers and parents. We have fumigated all schools, after two weeks another round of fumigation would take place. Very soon we will invite JSS3 students to resume in preparation for their examinations taking place in October.
“All principals have been provided with face masks, hand sanitisers and thermometers. Any school that couldn’t produce their own, their principal will be held responsible. The private schools are doing very well, I’m impressed. We are in touch with the association leadership, PTA leadership (Parents Teachers Association) they are all involved in the monitoring of schools,” he said.
