Reps goes against school resumption, propose 3-month postponement

The House of Representatives has gone against school resumption amid the the increasing cases of COVID-19 across the nation.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Basic Education and Services, Prof Julius Ihonvbere said they were not consulted as stakeholders.

Speaking to Punch on Saturday January 16, said;

“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.”

In a statement titled “School resumption: Are we truly prepared?” Ihonvbere questions why the government is in a haste to reopen school When there’s no “verifiable and sustainable arrangements to protect and secure the children.”

“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?”