Nigerian Teachers Fix Date To Meet Over School Resumption, COVID-19 Rules

The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has fixed Thursday for a meeting on the COVID-19 pandemic and compliance with protocols in schools amidst rising cases of infection.

Recall that schools in some states resumed academic sessions with some observing safety rules such as social distancing and hand washing while others disregarded them as classrooms were overcrowded.

Speaking to The Punch, Secretary-General of the NUT, Mike Ene, stated that the union would review compliance with COVID-19 protocols with the aim of ensuring safety of teachers and their pupils.

“I cannot tell you whether anybody is complying with COVID – 19 protocols in states. I have never asked anybody because since we are all going to speak on it, there is no point calling anybody. We have called a NEC (National Executive Committee) meeting for Thursday to look at how the resumptions have been,” he said.

While urging teachers to avoid hugging one another, Ene asked state governments to provide personal protective equipment.

He said: “If the government provides everything and there is running water, children know what to do. We have imbibed this practice of washing of hands. All we want is to ensure that there is regular water supply. We should avoid hugging one another and handshaking.

“Our pupils and students have really wasted time and keeping them at home longer will mean that their brains will be retarded. If markets, where everybody goes are not shut, I don’t know why schools should be shut.”