Ogun State government has warned all private school owners in the state to ensure that all their boarding students are certified COVID-19 negative before being admitted into their boarding facilities.
The government gave the warning on Sunday in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Basic and Secondary Education, Ronke Soyombo, in a statement.
This is as the government said it would bear the full costs of the COVID-19 test for all the boarding SS3 students in the state-owned public schools.
The directive, the government said, followed the guidelines jointly developed and agreed by parents, private school owners, government representatives and other stakeholders ahead of reopening of schools.
The statement reads in part: “The clarification has become necessary to remind the general public, particularly parents and operators in the education sector, of government position, which is based on the guidelines jointly developed and agreed by parents, private school owners, government representatives and other stakeholders.
“The government will bear the full costs of the COVID-19 test for all the boarding SS3 students in the state-owned public schools.
“All private school owners are also expected to ensure that all their boarding students are certified COVID-19 test negative before being admitted into their boarding facilities.
“To further assist the private schools, Ogun State government has negotiated a huge discount in the cost of COVID-19 test with some healthcare service providers.
“However, private school owners and parents are free to engage any other service provider of their choice provided it is certified by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) as COVID-19 test service provider.
“Indeed, certificate of negative COVID-19 test from other locations across the country will be tenable, provided, as usual, it is from an NCDC certified centre and the test has been performed within 72 hours of the date of resumption.”
