Following the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria earlier in the year, the government announced the closure of all schools to prevent the spread of the deadly virus. In a bid to ensure learning continued despite the lockdown, some private schools began to organise online classes for their students.
After about six months of school inactivity, the government decided to allow schools to reopen. However, as a safety measure, they laid out some guidelines to ensure that students, staff, and parents are safely protected.
Here are the guidelines:

  • School owners should ensure thorough fumigation of all the school’s environments, including classrooms, chairs and desks.
  • Provision of water and washing hand soaps should be made by school owners so students can wash their hands properly before entering the school.
  • Hand Sanitisers and Face Masks should be provided by the school for their staff and students so no one is exposed to the virus.
  • School owners should ensure that students maintain social distancing and one-meter physical distancing in sitting arrangements.
  • Everyone should avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness.

Also, to aid the smooth reopening of schools, a resumption timetable was announced by the Government. It stated that:

  • Students in JSS 3 and SS 2 in public school will resume on September 21, 2020
  • All classes in the private Secondary schools, primary and secondary, are to resume on September 21, 2020
  • All pre-primary school classes in public and private schools are to remain closed until further notice

CONCLUSION

The resumption of schools still remain in phases until the pandemic is completely over. This is to ensure that the spread of the pandemic is properly managed and everyone is safely protected even as we re-adjust to the ‘new normal’. All school are expected to follow these guidelines strictly, otherwise they will be shut down by the government.