The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, has said that unity schools across the county will embark on a mid-term break from February 15 to 19 to ensure that parents have time to vote at the forthcoming presidential polls slated for February 16.
Adamu, who made this known at a ministerial press briefing in Abuja on Friday, noted that the Ministry of Education adjusted the mid-term break to make it fall within the elections period.
He said that this directive is for only unity schools in the country, maintaining that government is not shutting down other schools.
“Our students in unity schools are not of voting age but we adjusted the mid-term break to make it fall within the elections period.
“The date for the mid-term break will be from Friday, February 15 to Tuesday, February 19. This is for only unity schools in the country. We are not shutting down other schools.
“The essence of this break is to enable parents have maximum time to go and cast their votes and have the freedom to bring their children and wards back to school.
“Even if the child is not of voting age, the parent is of voting age. The break is only for presidential elections. There is no break for governorship elections,” Adamu said.
The Minister, who also spoke on the suspended strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), noted that the struggle was for the development of the country’s educational system.
He said, “In spite of my anger with ASUU, I must also commend their patriotism and public spiritedness because the last few weeks were about the struggle for the education system and not their allowances.”
While expressing optimism about the ending ongoing strike of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP), Adamu assured that the two months old strike would be suspended before next Monday.