Gloria Ikegbule
The Lagos State Ministry of Education has warned private schools in the state not to open for third-term academic activities.
This warning is in reference to the plan by some private schools in the state to resume academic activities for the third term of 2019/2020 session via online teaching from Monday, April 27th, 2020.
The Ministry of Education in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Education, Mrs Folasade Adefisayo said schools in the state remain closed until further notice. Adefisayo acknowledged the financial burdens of online education on parents and schools during this period and called for continuous dialogue between school administrators and parents.
Her words: “We are already aware, the state is presently on lockdown imposed by the federal government over the COVID-19 pandemic. The ministry regards the “resumption” by schools as a strategy for ensuring that students continue to learn while the school calendar continues as planned.
“Please, note that the third term resumption remains postponed until directives to the contrary.
“We are aware that most parents are not working and earning money at the moment. Most schools are charging for this online service, often at a discount on existing tuition fees while some schools are charging full fees. We are also aware that schools continue to incur costs as teachers and other members of the staff have to be paid for providing online teaching.
“We ask that schools consult extensively with parents and find a win-win solution that will be acceptable to all stakeholders.”
Optimistic of the commitment of the ministry to continue to improve on the educational offering of its distance-learning programmes in the face of COVID-19, she added that the state would continue to offer free teachings on various media, especially radio and television.