Yakubu Busari
The Chairman Plateau State Universal Basic Education Board, PSUBEB, Prof Matthew Sule has given an insight into the conditions for public and private schools reopening of secondary, primary schools and preventive measures against the COVID-19 pandemic in the state for the resumption of classes.
Prof Sule made this disclosure at the SUBEB, headquarters at Dogon Dutse, Jos North Local Government Council.
Ahead of schools resumption, PSUBEB, deployed 2,537 trained teachers, Parents Teachers Association, and community heads to cover the preventive measure of school guidelines.
The Plateau State Executive Secretary, SUBEB, also train environmental volunteers to cover schools as the presidential task force PTF on COVID-19 has approved the reopening of schools across the country, Plateau government in compliance with other states.
Sule said that the trained staff teachers are to make sacrifices that will cover all the primary and secondary schools in 17 LGAs in the state.
He said that the state government through the state COVID-19 decided to reopen schools which have remained closed since February to contain the spread of the disease in the state
According to him, the reopening of schools is to be done in strict compliance with the directives of the order by warning any school that bridges the protocol that instantly that school remains close.
Prof Mathew Sule explained that “it will be based on the guidelines for the safe reopening of schools issued by the PTF COVID-19 containment protocol”.
Sule reiterated that they trained teachers, community heads, and retraining while the exercise is ongoing on the environment in collaboration with experts from the University of Jos to put in place necessary safeguards for the safe operations of the learning environment.
He disclosed that SUBEB participating in developing detailed protocol establishing and maintaining the prescribed hygiene standards and practices including water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) provision.
Prof Mathew stresses that additional measures for temperature checks and screening, hand hygiene, access to adequate gender-segregated toilet facilities, adequately ventilated classrooms and hostel accommodation, use of facemask, proper food preparation, and disposal of waste should also apply schools to set up schools environment to ensure effective compliance with COVID-19 guidelines.
He said that SUBEB would be monitoring compliance with prescribed hygiene standards through a network of trained teachers, PTAs, and heads communities of monitoring and evaluation teams across the state.
He said we know the situation has caused a total setback to the educational sector but we experience in the world particularly in our country the aspect of the social outbreaks which shock and disconnected us.
Sule said the teachers have been trained and training is still ongoing the content of the training is for familiarity with the safety of the environment.
According to him, “for the resumption of classes here in Plateau State, we have produced standard manual all documents for all that is a concern for teaching and learning “.
He stated that the commission brought experts from the University of Jos, after the pre, post, test, and embark on testing the knowledge acquired for the rigorous training.
