SCHOOL RESUMPTION: Lagos Permanent Secretary, Tutor-General, others Monitor Level of Compliance
By Yinka Adewusi
Following the resumption of terminal class students in Lagos State, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Mrs. Abosede Adelaja, her Education District 1 counterpart, Barrister Margaret Titilayo Solarin, school principals, teachers and some stakeholders in the education sector embarked on monitoring of the compliance level to COVID-19 protocols already instituted in schools across the State.
The inspection team led by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mrs. Abosede Adelaja, expressed satisfaction with the level of preparedness of the schools visited and the comportment of the students to all safety guidelines and protocols.
Speaking at one of the schools visited, Vetland Senior Grammar School, Ifako-Ijaiye, the Permanent Secretary disclosed that the State Government had earlier organised a training session tagged: “Scenario Planning” to prepare teachers ahead of resumption and enlighten them on psychological and physical issues concerning both teachers and students.
According to her, the State Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo, also had a virtual meeting with school managers to discuss all the protocols and facilities the school management required ahead of resumption as far back as July.
She disclosed that the schools have been fumigated and the environment kept clean, saying that “We have distributed facemasks for use by the students. As a matter of fact, all the schools have more than enough facemasks and sanitisers to cater to the needs of the students as well as hand washing basins.
The Tutor-General/ Permanent Secretary of Education District 1, Mrs. Margaret Titilayo Solarin, said that the monitoring exercise had been ongoing before the decision to reopen schools, stressing that several consultative fora had been held to strategise the resumption modalities.
She informed that apart from the preparedness on the part of the government and the teachers, the students have also been enlightened about physical distancing rules and other precautionary protocols that will make their stay in the school safe.
She challenged parents to also join hands with the government to instill the consciousness of abiding by the safety rules and COVID-19 protocols in the mind of the students even while at home.
As a way of ensuring compliance, Mrs. Solarin revealed that the schools have adopted the slogan “No Mask, No Entry”, in addition to subjecting the students to temperature checks before entering the school premises.
Other schools visited included State Senior High School, Oyewole, Agege; Oke-Odo Senior High School, Alimosho; Unity Senior College, Oke-Odo, Alimosho; Abesan Senior High School, Abesan and Jakande Estate Comprehensive Senior College, Abesan.
