The Gombe State Government has dismissed rumours that the Federal Government has fixed June 8 as resumption date for schools in the country just as it warned against the re-opening of schools in the state.
Dr Habu Dahiru, the state Commissioner for Education, refuted the claim during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Thursday.
Dahiru said that the ministry of education was yet to receive any circular from relevant agencies on resumption date for schools in the country,
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“The decision to close schools was in the best interest of pupils and students,” he said.
According to him, no responsible government will allow pupils and students to be exposed to this pandemic and we expect parents and all stakeholders in the sector to understand and be patient.
“We did not close the schools on our own. There were directives and these directives were received based on the technical guidelines given by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
“The directive was given by relevant authorities, if we are going to re-open schools, we will need the same directive and this will only be when it is safe to open schools again,’’ he said.
The commissioner added that there was no plan in the state to re-open school until the virus was put under control.
“School must be fumigated and made ready; teachers and students properly sensitised and all other measures are taken before school will be re-opened,’’ he explained.
Dahiru advised private school to adhere strictly to the directive in the interest of pupils and students, warning that “school attempting to operate without getting the ministry’s nod would be closed and their licenses revoked”.
According to him, the ministry has a monitoring team conducting routine checks and anywhere they see public gathering in any school, we will take action on them.
He urged parents to support the government to ensure the protection of all pupils and students in the state.
Dahiru restated that Gov. Inuwa Yahaya was committed to ensuring that the health of citizens was prioritised.