Osun State government said it has put in place measures that will help prevent the spread of the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic as part of the preparations for the full resumption of schools across the state on September 21.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Mr Jamiu Olawumi, stated this on Thursday while responding to questions on a live Rave FM radio programnme tagged “Frank Talk” monitored in Osogbo.
The special adviser allayed the fears of parents and guardians concerning the novel coronavirus, saying the administration of Governor Adegboyega Oyetola had set machineries in motion to ensure the safe resumption of students.
He said apart from the provision of safety materials that would help curb the spread of the virus among students and teachers, all schools including private ones across the state had been fumigated by the state’s Ministry of Environment which has the right formula for the process.
Olawumi added that the state government had also engaged all stakeholders including parents on the modalities for resumption before deciding on the procedure, manner and date for resumption.
Speaking on the review of the education policy, the special adviser said reversal of the schools’ names would take place immediately, while the reversal to the old uniforms would commence on November 9, 2020 which is the start of the new academic session.
According to him, “We want to assure all stakeholders in the state’s education sector that the administration of Governor Adegboyega Oyetola has put everything in place to ensure that our pupils are safe in schools.
“Almost all sectors across the country have opened up, COVID-19 is already here with us and the situation doesn’t look like abating anytime soon, we can’t continue to keep our children at home. We just have to find a way around it, the only way is to put safety measures in place at our schools which we have done.
“Government through the Ministry of Environment has fumigated all private and public schools across the state including tertiary institutions. Apart from that, we have also provided enough safety materials for both students and their teachers in all the schools.
“We will continue to ensure that our pupils remain safe while we strive to ensure that we give them the best in terms of quality education as promised by Governor Adegboyega Oyetola,” Olawumi stated.
Also speaking during the programme, the Chairman, Parents Forum, for both private and public schools in the state, Mr Bisi Olaniyan, commended the state government for listening to parents in the state and revert to the old education policy as recommended by the education review committee set up by the state government.
