The Ondo State Government has said it will make adjustment in teaching periods of subjects in classes, to avoid clustering and crowding in schools amidst the widespread of COVID-19 second wave across the globe.
This was made known by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health and Ag. Commissioner, Ministry of Health, Hon. Jibayo Adeyeye, in Akure during a joint inspection of schools in the metropolis by the Interministerial Committee on Coronavirus and the Ministry of Health.
While commending some school authorities for prompt adherence to COVID-19 protocols, Hon. Adeyeye said prevention of Coronavirus requires special efforts, as such there’s need to do the needful at all times adding that there’s need for re-organisation of subjects time table for classes and schools where students are more populated.
The Commissioner observed that spacing is a challenge in schools that are highly populated, even though students are obeying cautions. He therefore noted that schools have been mandated to cancel assemblies or any form of congregation and have break periods run between five and ten minutes, in order to save the lives of students and teachers from the virus.
In his remark, the Honourable Commissioner for Education, Mr. Femi Agagu, stated that even though people are finding it difficult to comply with various prevention guidelines highlighted by the government during this period, the Ministry will not relent in doing its best and imbibing in the students universally accepted guidelines against COVID-19, as regular practice among them.
He said the exercise will be continuous and the Ministry will work out measures to restructure classes so that number of students in class at a time will be very minimal. He also advised schools managements to make use of unutilized spaces in their domains for lectures, while students should also serve as advocates in mitigating the spread of the virus.
Reacting, the Chairman, Interministerial Committee on COVID-19, Prof. Adesegun Fatusi, lauded the Ministry of Education for supporting the Committee in its task of ensuring the spread of coronavirus is greatly mitigated in the state.
He appreciated the school principals for enforcing COVID-19 protocols in their schools, as against what was observed last week, noting that a high level of compliance is now observed in schools.
Fatusi stressed that the Committee will continue to work harder to make sure schools in Ondo State remain safe.
