Moshood Adebayo
Controversy yesterday trailed the resumption of both public and private schools in Lagos State.
The schools were billed to have resumed for the second term 2019/2020 academic session yesterday.
However, this was not so as conflicting text messages and notices were said to have emanated from both the state government and school authorities.
One of such notices, entitled: “Lagos private school to resume January 6, public schools, January 20, 2020,” was said to have been issued by the Commissioner for Education, Folasade Adefisayo.
The statement welcomed students of both public and private schools back to school for the second term 2019/2020 academic session.
In the statement from the office of the Director General, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Abiola Seriki-Ayeni, students of private schools and public senior secondary schools are to resume for 2nd term on Monday, January 6, 2020 while all public primary schools will resume on Monday, January 20, 2020.
It said all students and members of staff in both public and private schools are expected back in school on the above dates, while students in boarding schools are expected to return on January 4 and 5, 2020.
The statement urged proprietors and school administrators to ensure strict compliance to the academic calendar/resumption dates “because academic activities commences same day.”
However, parents and their wards lamented the situation, wondering what must have necessitated the confusion and change in the calendar.
In Amuwo Odofin, Oshodi/Isolo local government areas, students of some private schools, who did not receive the notice early enough reported for classes, but were later sent back home.
In a related development, Oyo State Government has urged heads of public schools to commence academic activities immediately, saying idleness of teachers or pupils would not be tolerated.
Executive Chairman, Universal Basic Education Board, Nureni Adeniran, made the declaration, yesterday while monitoring resumption of schools in the state capital, Ibadan.
Adeniran, who monitored the resumption alongside other members of the board, expressed satisfaction with the situation they met at some schools visited.
The chairman, however called on other schools, who are yet to commence academic activities to do so with the pupils immediately.
“We are going around to ensure quality in our education sector and ensure infrastructural facilities are provided. This has afforded us the opportunity to identify schools in need of renovation and facilities.
“We want school work to start immediately. We have gone to some schools and we noticed that a good number of them have already commenced.
“Therefore, we call on other schools to start teaching pupils immediately, as a matter of duty,” he said.
Adeniran said early commencement of academic activities would enable schools in the state to cover the syllabus, adding that, this would enable the state in achieving quality and standard learning outcome.