Reps oppose School Resumption, propose Three-Month Postponement

The House of Representatives has faulted the Federal Government for giving schools the go-ahead to resume on Monday despite the increasing cases of COVID-19.

The House said government officials did not consult the relevant committees of the National Assembly, contrary to their claim that all relevant stakeholders were consulted before arriving at the January 18, 2021, resumption date.

It, therefore, demanded postponement of resumption for three months, where necessary safety measures weren’t put in place and compliance with protocols low

Chairman of the House Committee on Basic Education and Services, Prof Julius Ihonvbere, disclosed these in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Saturday.

“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.

Ihonvbere, in a statement he issued in Abuja on Saturday, on behalf of his committee, opposed the Monday resumption date.

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

It read, “The Committee on Basic Education and Services, House of Representatives, has received with concern the decision of the Federal Government to reopen schools on January 18, 2021

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?”

Comments

NASU, SSANU begin protest in UniAbuja, Lokoja Varsity

Members of Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) of University of Abuja and Federal University, Lokoja, on Tuesday commenced a three-day protest The protest was due to the Federal Government failure to implement the agreements reached with the National body of the unions in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on October 18, last year. Members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU), University of Abuja, Federal University Lokoja (FUL), Kogi State, on Tuesday, embarked on a peaceful protest, to herald the three-day warning strike notice it issued the Federal Government (FG). As early as 8 am, the union members carried postcard and took over the gates and other areas of the Adankolo campus of the institution Addressing newsmen at the gate of the institution after the peaceful protest, Chairman, SSANU/Joint Action Committee, of Federal University, Lokoja, Mr Uche Onyedi, threatened complete shutdown...

JAMB opens Portal for 2020/2021 Admission

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, (JAMB) has reopened portal for the 2020/2021 admissions. The board said opening the portal gives institutions access to upload names of shortlisted applicants for the 2020/2021 admissions. The spokesperson for JAMB, Fabian Benjamin, confirmed this in a telephone interview on Wednesday with the news corespondent He quoted the Registrar of JAMB, Prof Is-haq Oloyede, as saying that admission processes must go through the Central Admission Processing System for approval . “Of course, long ago. Any institution, not just public that wants to is already uploading,” Oloyede was quoted as saying. Earlier, JAMB notified the public not to fall victim to fraudsters and rumour mongers. The board who gave the opinion in a weekly bulletin of the Office of the Registrar said that it has yet to begin the sale of the 2021 Unified Tertiary and Matriculation Examination forms. JAMB reiterates that it has not begun the sale of its 2021 UTME and Direct Entry app...

[BREAKING]: Schools Resumes January 18 - Education Minister, Adamu

The Federal Government has given the nod for schools to resume on January 18 after reaching consensus with Governors, Commissioners and other stakeholders. The consensus was reached at a meeting between the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu and Commissioners of Education in Abuja. The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, Arc. Sonny Echono, who confirmed this to news correspondent, said: "We have had extensive discussions with state governors, proprietors of schools, labour /staff unions and students'reprisetatives. And the consensus is that we should reopen all schools. "But the reopening of schools will be in compliance with COVID-19 protocols, especially strict adherence to non-pharmaceutical procedures." Details shortly...

Uniabuja Channel

Search This Blog