Ahead of the resumption of academic activities by primary school pupils in Delta State schools September 16, all primary school teachers have been asked to resume duties from Monday, September 14.
The state Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Patrick Ukah, in a statement in Asaba at the weekend after a comprehensive meeting with relevant stakeholders, said that the reopening is in line with the decision of the state government, in conjunction with the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), to implement phased resumption of schools beginning with exit classes.
He said that on resumption, the pupils are to immediately commence revisions for their cognitive placement examination scheduled to take place on Saturday, September 26, 2020.
Ukah called on primary school heads to ensure that all COVID-19 protocols as enumerated by NCDC are strictly adhered to in order to avoid the spread of the disease among teachers and pupils.
The commissioner charged the school heads to emulate their secondary school counterparts who adequately organised their schools for the return to school of SS3 and JS3 students.
He restated that each classroom should not accommodate more than 20 pupils to ensure proper physical distancing, in addition to complying with other protocols put in place to control the spread of the disease.
He reiterated that no pupil should be allowed into the school compound without wearing a facemask as the state government would provide facemasks for them.
Ukah said that teachers who have been trained on COVID-19 preventive measures are expected to train other teachers between Monday when the teachers would resume and Wednesday when the pupils would come back.
He disclosed that officials of the ministry led by himself, those from the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and members of the committee set up by the state government to ensure compliance with the established protocols would from Monday go round to monitor the situation of things in all primary schools in the state.
Meanwhile, JS3 students who resumed academic activities on September 8 are still taking classes ahead of their Basic Education Certificate Examination which would commence on September 21.
