Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
There was turnout of students in Onitsha as schools reopened in Anambra state.
Daily Sun gathered that only SSS3 students resumed in the state as JSS 3 students and Primary 6 pupils were said to be resumed on a later date as directed by the state government.
Some public schools, mission schools and private schools visited by our correspondent in Onitsha indicated that many schools were opened for studies in full compliance with COVID-19 protocols.
Students were seen in these schools doing clean-up, sweeping, cutting of grass and washing of class rooms while in other schools students were seen in their classes being taught by their teachers.
The principal of Ado Girls Secretary School Onitsha Pastor Augustine Agupusi said that the school premises were fumigated two weeks ago in preparation for the resumption today.
She said that before any student or teacher entered the school premises, she must wear their face masks, sanitize their hands, wash their hands and their temperature checked while those without face mask were turned back.
The Director of Regina Pacis Model Secondary School Onitsha, a Catholic mission school Rev. Fr. Pascal Okonkwo said that their students who are boarders returned to the school on Tuesday evening while revision classes/studies resumed on Wednesday.
He said that the students and teachers were properly checked of their temperature level and observed other COVID-19 protocols, saying that the teachers who comes from their homes must be checked on daily basis to ensure that they don’t constitute health risk for the students.
Fr. Okonkwo said that revision classes had commenced to prepare the students for the SSCE examinations since they had covered the syllabus for the SSS3 students before the lockdown.
He urged the teachers the do their best to put the students through within the few days to the exam while advising the students to read harder to come out with flying colours in the WAEC examination.
Some of the students who spoke to Daily Sun Chikwudo Arinze, Ebere Okwusi, Damian Okeke, Ekene Duruike expressed happiness for retuning to school to take their examinations.
They said that they had no fear to go into the examination due to long stay at home caused by Coronavirus pandemics, stressing that they had already concluded their studies and was about to sit for the exam before the lockdown.
“We are happy to be back to school to start our examination. Although we stayed at home for long time, it will not affect our performance in the examination as we have been studying through online channels and reading our books during the lockdown. We are optimistic that we are going to come out with good results” they assured.