• Friday, March 29, 2024
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COVID-19: Our campus is safe for reopening – says Salako, FUNAAB VC

Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta [FUNAAB]

Amidst the gradual easing of the lockdown due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta [FUNAAB], has further pledged its commitment to keeping the University safe by rendering quality health services, provision of additional infrastructural development to staff and students as required.

  The Vice Chancellor of the institution, Felix Kolawole Salako[Prof]  made this disclosure when he spoke with Businessday in a telephone interview. 

He said, all necessary and standard required conditions billed to be met towards academic resumption are in top gear. 

According to him, as the University gradually resumes, same rules that were applied to staff will equally be applied to students, when they finally resume towards meeting government’s required conditions.

 Based on the students’ number, Salako said, certain amendments have been put in place, oconcerning the lecture halls and hostels. “It cannot be business as usual. Even if COVID-19 lockdown is eased fully, we should be prepared, may be it will remain with us like other diseases at low rate”, he explained further.

Salako, who debunked the insinuation lingering around that the institution may down size its students’ population, assured all the students of their places in the institution.

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Said he: “We are not going to turn back our students, as we are already decongesting existing lecture halls and student’s hostels.

The VC  equally said that the University is planning to have some classes held online on resumption as part of reducing crowd and students clustering together for lecture, while there will be in between lecture break of 15 minutes to allow for disinfecting the lecture hall before the next lecture.

He further noted that, upon the closure of academic programme last February, the institution immediately fumigated it’s environment including offices, hostels and lecture halls ” not because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but solely then for prevention of lassa fever,” Saloko stressed.

The vc however, advised all staff and students to adhere to the precautionary rules against the virus such as keeping safe distance from people, constant washing of hands with soap and sanitizer, use of face mask and avoid crowded areas.e

It would be recalled that the Minister of state for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, had on June 16, at the 2020 policy meeting on admissions to tertiary institutions in Nigeria, organised by Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB), had announced government intention to reopen schools with conditions.

The conditions to be met by schools, the minister enumerated to includes: Hand-washing facilities, body temperature checks, body disinfectants at all entering points to their major facilities including gates, hostels, classes, offices, etc. The entire premises of each institution must be decontaminated and all efforts must be geared towards maintenance of the highest level of hygiene at ensuring social and physical distancing in classes and meeting spaces.