– Abiola Seriki-Ayeni
The Lagos State Office of Education Quality Assurance has condemned the act of inviting students to school by owners of private schools against the directive of the Lagos State Government to shut down due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.
In a statement released from the Office of the Director General, OEQA, Private schools are strongly warned to desist from reopening of schools under whatever guise thereby exposing pupils to infections and dangers of Covid-19. Any school caught flouting this directive will be heavily sanctioned.
Recall that the Federal Government ordered the closure of schools across the country to curtail exposure to and the spread of Coronavirus (Covid-19) among students because of their vulnerability and inability to observe social distancing.
To ensure compliance, the Office of Education Quality Assurance Monitoring and Investigation team embarked on compliance monitoring exercise across the state simultaneously to ensure that schools adhere strictly to the directive.
According to Mrs Abiola Seriki-Ayeni, central to the monitoring exercise is the safety of all learners, teachers and the general public. She stated that the state has witnessed total compliance rate except for some few schools who are doing all they could to beat government scrutiny without concern for the health and safety of learners.
She advised such schools to stop forcing students to school, an act that could jeopardize the future of these innocent children. She however warned that any school caught will be penalized. The Director General assured the general public that the Lagos State Government will continue to create awareness on how to maintain proper hygiene, like washing of hands with soap and water, use of face mask and the use of hand sanitizers. Mrs. Abiola Seriki-Ayeni who said the general public will be notified when it is right and safe for students to return to school advised the public to reach the office through its official emails: [email protected] or [email protected].
Olaniran Emmanuel
Public Affairs
OEQA