The Governor of Edo state, Godwin Obaseki Governor, has said that schools in the state would remain closed until February 1, as the state grapples with the second wave of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
Obaseki stated this at a news conference, Friday in Benin, as most states across the federation gear up to reopen schools on January 18.
“We have decided that schools will not reopen for now; this situation will be reviewed by February 1. We will like our own schools to reopen on February 1, depending on the situation at that point in time.
“Between now and that time, we will be going round to make sure that these schools have running water. We want to ensure spacing for the children are in place and we want to ensure that they have temperature checks at the entrance of each school.
“Each classroom should not hold more than 30 per cent of the students; all of that is being worked out by the Ministry of Education and the Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (EDOSUBEB).
“Within the next two weeks, we should be able to finalise plans to allow children go back to school. In the meantime, we will reactivate EdoBest at home. You will recall that during the first wave, we were able to create over 9,000 virtual classrooms for these children to learn,” Obaseki said.
The governor expressed hope that the children would not stay at home longer than was expected, adding that there was the possibility of introducing break after every hour to enable students to go out and get fresh air.
