Just In: House of Reps calls for postponement of school resumption

The House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government to push back the date for school resumption in the country by three months to put in necessary safety measures in wake of the rising COVID-19 infections in the second wave of the pandemic.

Prof Julius Ihonvbere, Chairman of the House Committee on Basic Education and Services revealed made the call in an interview with The Punch that contrary to reports, the FG didn’t do proper consultation with relevant stakeholders before reaching the decision to resume schools on Monday, January 18, 2021.

“They did not consult us; at least in my committee, nobody from the ministry spoke to me. I have been in Abuja. And I am not sure that they spoke to any of my members. They just don’t see us as part of the critical stakeholders,” he said.

Previously, in a statement by the committee chairman objected to school resuming on Monday.

The statement was titled “School resumption: Are we truly prepared?”

Ihonvbere noted in the statement that the committee is concerned especially as infection rate hovers above 1,000 daily and schools are being reopened as schools were closed when infection rate was around 500 daily.

“We are particularly concerned that when the infection rates hovered around 500 and under, schools were closed; but now that it hovers well above 1,000 infections daily, schools are being reopened. Why are we rushing to reopen schools without adequate verifiable and sustainable arrangements to protect and secure our children?”