Reps oppose school resumption, propose 3-month postponement

 

The House of Representatives has kicked against resumption of schools amid the the increasing cases of COVID-19 in the country.

 

The lower chamber of the national assembly which proposed a postponement of resumption for three months, 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.

Chairman of the House Committee on Basic Education and Services, Prof Julius Ihonvbere who spoke to The 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?” which he also issued on behalf of his colleagues, Ihonvbere wondered why government officials are rushing to reopen schools without adequate verifiable and sustainable arrangements to protect and secure children. 

 

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?”