The Federal and Lagos State governments have said that COVID-19 test is not a requirement for returning students to be admitted into their schools.
There had been reports that some schools mandated their students to undergo the COVID-19 test before resumption.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer, Ministry of Education, Kayode Abayomi said, “I am not aware of that. So far, it is not part of the requirements.”
Also, the Director of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, Mr Ben Goong, asked school authorities to refrain from asking students or parents to undergo the COVID-19 test before they are accepted in their schools.
In a statement on Monday, Goong said, “The Federal Ministry of Education says no COVID-19 Test is required for returning students to be admitted into their schools.
“Only temperature checks should be carried out on students and any other person crossing any school gate.
“School authorities should therefore refrain from asking students or parents to undergo COVID-19 test before they are accepted in their schools,” he said.
Nursery, primary and secondary schools in states including Lagos, Ogun, Ogun, Ebonyi and Nasarawa resume academic activities today for the second term of the 2020/21 academic year.
Some higher institutions, both federal and state, had also signified their intentions to resume academic activities today.
Resumption at basic schools was delayed in many states following the second wave of COVID-19 as well as the advice by the NCDC.
Schools in Oyo State, however, resumed on January 4, while schools in Edo and Anambra states will resume in February.
The Lagos State Government, in a statement on Friday, affirmed its earlier pronouncement that all public and private schools in the state below tertiary level should resume on Monday (today).
In the statement, Adefisayo urged students and staff members to adhere to COVID-19 guidelines.
Also, the Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Science, and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, had on Friday directed all primary, secondary as well as government science and technical colleges to resume academic activities on Monday.
Arigbabu appealed to parents, guardians, teachers, school administrators, and other stakeholders to ensure full compliance with all coronavirus protocols
Also, the Ebonyi State Government will deploy two nurses in each public school ahead of today’s resumption to stem the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
