By Omon-Julius Onabu
After one week of sudden closure occasioned by breach of public peace by violent #EndSARS protesters in the state, public and private schools in Delta State are to resume academic activities on Monday, November 2, 2020.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa gave approval for the resumption of the schools, the state Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mr. Patrick Ukah, disclosed on Friday in Asaba.
The governor had on Thursday last week ordered the closure of all schools across the state while imposing a 48-hour curfew due to heightened tension when the anti-police brutality protest turned violent and leading to destruction of lives and property in Asaba and other parts of the state.
The curfew, which is still in force, was eventually eased up to between 6p.m. and 8a.m. daily.
However, the commissioner advised school heads not to relent on observation of the prescribed COVID-19 protocols by their staff, pupils and students in order to prevent the spread of the disease.
“Officials of the ministry will continue to monitor activities in the schools to ensure strict adherence to the directive, Ukah said, warning that defaulters could have “their schools closed down.
“Announcement of resumption date for nursery schools in the state would be made in due course.
“Meanwhile, the airing of the ministry’s open distance learning radio and television programme, ‘Teleclass’, meant to compliment normal learning in schools for the month of November will also resume on Monday,” he said.
The programme is put together by the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) in collaboration with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and in conjunction with state Ministry of Information and aired between 5p.m. and 7p.m. on week days by the ministry’s radio and television media partners.
Ukah advised pupils and students to make use of the opportunity presented by the programme, which is targeted at Junior Secondary School and Senior Secondary School students, especially in view of the short time available for them to learn this term.
