By Stephen Adeleye

The Kogi Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr Wemi Jones, has expressed his satisfaction on the level of compliance by schools on protocols against Covid-19 pandemic.

The commissioner made the statement while speaking with newsmen on Monday after he led a team from the ministry to monitor students’ resumption in schools for ext classes in the state.

According to Jones, what we have find out today with the level of compliance is quite encouraging and impressive in all the public and private schools we visited.

”Both private and public schools really complied. The secondary schools have only their JSS3 and SS3 present in school and primary six pupils alone in primary schools we visited.

”Teachers are already working by doing revision for students and that is very encouraging.

”It shows that all our efforts of sensitising the people have yielded results. I must say I am very pleased and impressive with what we have found out today,” Jones said.

He commended the principals and teachers for ensuring total compliance with the covid-19 protocols on schools’ resumption, saying, ”I am so encouraged with what I have seen today”.

He urged parents to keep supporting the government in the interest of their children and the state to make Kogi a better place.

Earlier while addressing the students, the Commissioner welcome them back to school and prayed that Government will not lose anyone of them.

He noted that the State Government had been very proactive to ensuring that schools were safe for resumption for the students of exit classes.

He added that the State Government through the ministry of education had fumigated some schools in the state to ensure the safety of students and teachers.

He advised the students to take good care of themselves and their environment both at home and in school, and ensure proper personal hygienes, saying, ”we will not lose any of you in Jesus name”.

He urged the students to take advantage of the WAEC e-learning website (waeconline.org.ng/e-learning) to practice past questions on it as they prepared for their examination.

The Commissioner, however, warned students against examination malpractice, saying the Government has zero tolerance for it.

”Exam malpractice will not be condoned, defaulters will be punished severely for it. So, I beg you, do not get yourself caught in the web.

”We want you to succeed and come out with flying colours so that the government and your parents can be proud of you.

”Your exam is not as important as your health, so the Government will do everything to ensure the safety of students and teachers,” he said.

He appealed to the parents to take proper care of their children and their personal hygienes.

Dr Habeeb Yaqeen, the Chairman of National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Kogi chapter, said the level of compliance to Covid-19 protocols among private schools was highly impressive.

Yaqeen, who doubles as the Proprietor of Al-Hassan Int’l College Lokoja, noted that private schools who could not meet up with high level of compliance as at last week were asked to resume on Tuesday.

”We are not prepared to give any chances whatsoever because we do not want any spike or incident. So, the compliance so far is good among private schools”, he said.

He stressed the need for Government and all stakeholders to seriously orientate the students and work on their welfare and mental wellbeing against their traumatic experience during the long holiday.

He urged government at all levels to always make policy targeted towards the betterment of humanity, saying, ”Governments are not doing the right thing”.

The Principal of Bishop Delisle College, Lokoja, Mrs Bola Boro, said they were very grateful to God and happy to receive their students back to school again.

”We have put all the necessary things in place and observed all the required Covid-19 protocols for our students”, she said

While commending the State Government for fumigating their school, the principal urged the government to provide Infrared Thermometer for them to screen their students and teachers.

One of the JSS3 students, Abigail Akubo, I feel happy to be back to school and to do revision to write our exam.

Other team from the ministry led by the Special Adviser on Education, Mr Gabriel Otta, also monitored some schools across the the state.

Schools visited by both teams included: Crowdther Memorial College, Bishop Delisle College, St. Luke LGEA/UBEC School, and Govt Day Secondary Sch, all in Lokoja.

Others were: Muslims Community Secondary Sch, Govt Science Secondary Sch, Army Day Secondary Sch, Scintillate Int’l School, and Al-Hassan Int’l School, among others.

End

  COVID19, Hon. Wemi Jones, Kogi News