House Committee on Basic Education and Services during a meeting

By Muhaimin Olowoporoku

The House of Reps has asked that school resumption in the country be postponed by three months to put in necessary safety measures in wake of the ravaging COVID-19 virus.

This is as the House faulted the Federal Government for approving that schools resume on Monday.

The House claims that officials did not consult the relevant committees of the National Assembly, contrary to their claim that all relevant stakeholders were consulted before arriving at January 18, 2021, resumption date.

Prof Julius Ihonvbere, Chairman of the House Committee on Basic Education and Services revealed in an interview with The Punch.

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He said he was not consulted and no member of the committee was carried along stating that they are not seen as part of important stakeholders.

“They did not consult us; at least in my committee, nobody from the ministry spoke to me. I have been in Abuja. And I am not sure that they spoke to any of my members. They just don’t see us as part of the critical stakeholders,” he said.

Previously, in a statement by the committee chairman objected to school resuming on Monday.

The statement was titled “School resumption: Are we truly prepared?”

Ihonvbere noted in the statement that the committee is concerned especially as infection rate hovers above 1,000 daily and schools are being reopened as schools were closed when infection rate was around 500 daily.

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“We are particularly concerned that when the infection rates hovered around 500 and under, schools were closed; but now that it hovers well above 1,000 infections daily, schools are being reopened. Why are we rushing to reopen schools without adequate verifiable and sustainable arrangements to protect and secure our children?”