The Rivers and Oyo states governments have declared October 6, 2014 as the resumption date for all public and private primary and secondary schools.
Dr. Sampson Parker, the Commissioner for Health Rivers State while speaking with journalists in Port Harcourt, the capital city, said schools in Rivers would not resume on September 22, 2014 as earlier announced by the Federal Government as a result of the ongoing surveillance of some Ebola contacts.
He said, “We currently have 253 contacts under surveillance and we hope that by weekend, the number would have come down significantly. We expect that quite a number of those under surveillance would have been discharged in batches.
“By October 2, we can say with a measure of confidence that the outbreak of Ebola is over in Rivers State. We can say that the spread of Ebola is over in Nigeria from the results that have come out of our collective efforts.
“Remember that the condition of Rivers State is peculiar considering the fact that the outbreak of Ebola in our state is the most recent. Remember, the minister said that schools could resume as from September 22. We have to take into consideration our local concern.”
He further said, “We will not accept anything below the required health standard that we have stipulated. Whatever is needful for the schools to meet up with environmental and health requirements will be provided by the state government.
“Parents should not send their sick children to schools. The regulation of schools will be more rigorous this time around.”
Meanwhile, the Oyo State Government has also announced October 6 as resumption date for public and private primary and secondary schools
A statement issued from the office of the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Olalekan Alli, on Friday, confirmed the new resumption date.
Alli said the government had made adequate preparations for the resumption of schools.
In a related development, Ogun State Government on Friday also announced Wednesday October 8, 2014 as the new resumption date for both public and private schools in the state.
The Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Taiwo Adeoluwa, stated this at the Governor’s Office press centre, Oke Mosan, Abeokuta.
Adeoluwa said the new date was chosen after series of meetings with stakeholders on the measures to prevent pupils from contracting Ebola Virus Disease when schools resume.
He said the stakeholders include state chapters of Nigeria Union of Teachers, Academic Staff of Secondary Schools, Association of Primary School Head teachers of Nigeria, National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools and All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools.
He said, “Since the Ebola scourge broke out in Lagos, the Ogun State Government has put many preventive measures in place.
“Apart from that, we have had series of evaluation meetings with stakeholders in the education sector, and today we all agreed that the level of preparedness in putting in place preventive measures against the outbreak of Ebola in both private and public primary and secondary schools in the state, is not satisfactory enough.
“So, we have agreed that the new date for resumption should be shifted to Wednesday October 8.”