The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), on Thursday, urged Kano State Schools Based Management Committees (SBMC), to acquaint themselves with the schools reopening guidelines set out by the Federal Ministry of Education.
The UN agency made the call at a one-day orientation exercise on schools reopening guidelines designed to sensitize the SBMC on the guidelines in Kano.
The orientation exercise was organized by UNICEF in collaboration with the Kano State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).
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Dr Ogu Enemeka and Muntaka Mukhtar, UNICEF resource persons, said the exercise was designed to disseminate guidelines for the schools reopening and strengthen community engagement in ensuring safe reopening of the schools.
Enemeka called on the SBMC members to work towards encouraging a participatory learning process in their respective communities.
Mukhtar also enjoined the committees to work toward promoting good hygiene, sanitation, and adherence to COVID-19 protocols to make the school environment safe.
Also speaking, Tijjani Haladu-Baraya, the state’s Chairman of the SBMC, said the exercise was important towards promoting community engagement in the preparations for schools reopening processes.
Haladu-Baraya said the exercise was critical to prevent the spread of the virus when the schools reopened.
“The orientation exercise avails the SBMC opportunity to prepare and be ready in ensuring compliance with necessary COVID-19 protocols and the guidelines set out by the Federal Ministry of Education to facilitate the safe reopening of schools.
“We want the pupils to be safe and their safety is the safety of the community because once a child is infected he will transmit it to other members of the community,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the exercise was attended by officials of SUBEB, community leaders, and members of the SBMC drawn from the 44 Local Government Areas of the state.