House of Rep asks FG to postpone resumption until next 3 months

The House of Representatives has faulted the go-ahead by the Federal Government for schools to resume on January 18 despite the increasing cases giving schools the go-ahead to resume on Monday.

According to them, government officials did not consult the relevant committees of the National Assembly before announcing January 18, 2021, resumption date. They, therefore, demanded postponement of resumption for three months, where necessary safety measures weren’t put in place and compliance with protocols low.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Basic Education and Services, Prof Julius Ihonvbere, disclosed. “They did not consult us; at least in my committee, nobody from the ministry spoke to me. I have been in Abuja. And I am not sure that they spoke to any of my members. They just don’t see us as part of the critical stakeholders,” he said.

Ihonvbere, in a statement, he issued in Abuja on Saturday, on behalf of his committee, opposed the Monday resumption date. The statement was titled “School resumption: Are we truly prepared?”

Part of the statement reads, “The Committee on Basic Education and Services, House of Representatives, has received with concern the decision of the Federal Government to reopen schools on January 18, 2021.

“We are particularly concerned that when the infection rates hovered around 500 and under, schools were closed; but now that it hovers well above 1,000 infections daily, schools are being reopened. Why are we rushing to reopen schools without adequate verifiable and sustainable arrangements to protect and secure our children?”