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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 werenât 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.
âThey 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 donât see us as part of the critical stakeholders,â 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 âSchool resumption: Are we truly prepared?â
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It read, âThe 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.
âWe 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?â