Odahiekwu Ogunde, Yenagoa
Bayelsa State Government says it is taking steps to ensure schools are safe to allow final year students to resume and take their external examinations as directed by the Federal Government.
The state government said it had scheduled a COVID-19 prevention training for private and public schools representatives for Tuesday (today) aimed at ensuring that safety protocols were complied with when schools resume on Wednesday.
Permanent Secretaries, Ministries of Information and Education, Freston Akpor and Walter Liverpool, respectively, made these known during a radio programme monitored in Yenagoa on Monday.
They assured the people of the state that the government was doing its best to protect the students and teachers.
They said the government was already fumigating schools across the state as well as providing handwashing facilities, urging the parents and communities to complement the efforts of the government.
Akpor, who is a member of the Bayelsa COVID-19 Task Force, specifically said Governor Douye Diri, who chairs the task force, had approved the deployment of health professionals to schools while temporary isolation facilities would be put in place in schools.
He said, “Bayelsa State Government has been working to get our schools ready and safe for our children and that is why we have scheduled a ‘train the trainers programme’ to acquaint schools with COVID-19 safety protocols.
“The essence is to build capacity of our people and update them with the guidelines from the Federal Government on the reopening of schools. That is why we are taking our time and shifted the resumption for final year students to Wednesday August 5.
“Government is providing face masks, infrared thermometers and access to water, and for schools without water supply, alternative arrangements are in place and we are poised to check the spread of the coronavirus.
“In view of the questionable and low quality of hand sanitisers, we are emphasising on frequent hand washing with soap and water and we appeal to members of the public as well as parents and guardians to complement the efforts of government.”
End.