Students Jubilate as Schools Resume in Anambra

Students Jubilate as Schools Resume in Anambra

By David-Chyddy Eleke

There was jubilation among students of secondary and primary schools in Anambra State Monday as schools reopened for the 2019/2020 third term.

THISDAY which went round schools in the state capital, Awka, saw the jubilant primary and secondary school students resuming school, amidst strict adherence to COVID-19 guidelines.

Some students of St. John of God Secondary School, Awka, who spoke to THISDAY, said they were happy to be back in school to see their friends and also learn, adding that staying at home had long become boring.

Nwamaka Eze, a Senior Secondary 11 student of the school, said: “We are happy that schools have resumed again. We are happy that we are coming to learn again, and also happy to meet with our friends who we have not seen for a very long time. We are no longer comfortable staying at home, and we thank government for reopening schools.”

Meanwhile, there was serious enforcement of the COVID-19 guidelines in all the schools visited.

In Kingdom Heritage Model School, a private primary school owned by the Bishop David Oyedepo-led Living Faith Church, AKA Winners’ Chapel, it was observed that taps have been installed in various areas of the school premises, just as all pupils resuming for school were mandated to wash their hands before entering the school.

Parents were also barred from entering the school compound with their wards, just as each pupil was expected to wear a white mask and also resume with a bottle of hand sanitizer.

A teacher in the school, who said she was not permitted to speak to the press, said: “We have orders from the management not to let parents into the school. Everything in the school have been decontaminated, so we do not want external people to come and contaminate any surface in the school.”

Some parents also spoke of their joy towards resumption of schools. Mrs Blessing Obasi, a parent to a pupil in the school, said she was happy that the school had reopened at last, as her children were already posing nuisance at home.

“We are happy because these children need to start coming out again. They have been at home for too long. We are only calling on the federal and state governments to ensure they intervene, so that there will be uniform school calendar among schools.

“We have heard rumours that some schools plan to round off this third term hastily and now start first term again this year. Government should let the third term run for the full three to four months before closing, while schools can now open again in January 2021 for the first term,” she said.

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