SCHOOLS REOPENING: Students Give FG 2 Weeks Ultimatum to Announce Date
INFOMEDIA – Following what they described as Federal Government’s poor handling of schools reopening, students of tertiary institutions have given the government two weeks within which to fix a date for resumption.
They threatened to protest against continued closure of schools if government failed to accede to their demands within 14 days.
The groups, comprising the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), National Association of University Students (NAUS) and National Association of Colleges of Education Students (NANCES), at a virtual meeting, decried Federal Government’s approach towards resumption of learning institutions in the country.
They also faulted government’s decision to pull out of the 2020 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASCCE).
Urging the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, to reconsider participation of Nigerian students in the terminal examination, they said WAEC could be taken, while observing social distancing and other safety protocols.
“It is hardly feasible that coronavirus may be eradicated in a fortnight and after months of observing several safety measures, there are little or no gains in the results so far recorded.
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‘’Huge funds have been used to contain the spread of the virus, but we still have poorly equipped medical centres across the country,” they added.
They also charged the government to stop salaries of university teachers and other officials for advocating the continued closure of schools without proffering solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The joint press statement issued at the end of the emergency virtual meeting held by the leaderships of naps, naus & nances on 10th july, 2020 read, “The leaderships of the trio have resolved to vehemently resist any further delay. Hence, we reject the proposed stagnancy aimed at leaving our schools under lock and key.
That denying students from participating in WAEC is unreasonable and unsolicited as it would be a deliberate attempt to mismanage and delay students from competing with their counterparts worldwide.
“That ASUU and other government workers (Commissioners and minister of Education) who are advocates for the continued lock down of our schools and beneficiaries of salaries from government should no longer earn an income.
“That a resumption date be fixed this month or we will not hesitate to lead students both secondary schools, Polytechnics/Monotechnics, Universities and Colleges of Education Nation-wide to the National Assembly in a joint protest, two weeks after this statement is issued.
“Solution to Covid is not found at revenue centres but only through rigorous research and research needs academics.
