Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has instructed and ordered a partial reopening of schools in Oyo State after three months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-1883810847636355&output=html&h=316&slotname=8228856220&adk=3740527632&adf=3872947312&w=379&fwrn=7&lmt=1592728470&rafmt=11&psa=1&guci=2.2.0.0.2.2.0.0&format=379×316&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn-af.feednews.com%2Fnews%2Fdetail%2Fea0fc26e50251ad7498b36386643d73d%3Fclient%3Dnews%26country%3Dng%26features%3D34359738287%26lang%3Den%26language%3Den%26low_perf%3Dfalse%26mode%3Dbody%26swdp%3D411%26uid%3D59ea195a14c73245908b3459860979f93f145498&flash=0&wgl=1&dt=1592728470406&bpp=31&bdt=3325&idt=-M&shv=r20200610&cbv=r20190131&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&cookie=ID%3D707cbc3539aa4e10%3AT%3D1592419423%3AS%3DALNI_Mboab6yKsRb-68uklt6Ax5OdDP5JA&crv=1&prev_fmts=0x0&nras=1&correlator=6925242354946&frm=20&pv=1&ga_vid=12903382.1592419337&ga_sid=1592728470&ga_hid=1813246&ga_fc=0&iag=0&icsg=2632447&dssz=13&mdo=0&mso=0&rplot=4&u_tz=60&u_his=1&u_java=0&u_h=892&u_w=412&u_ah=892&u_aw=412&u_cd=24&u_nplug=0&u_nmime=0&adx=16&ady=560&biw=412&bih=719&scr_x=0&scr_y=25&eid=42530493%2C42530495&oid=3&pvsid=3166620911270642&pem=714&rx=0&eae=0&fc=1924&brdim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C412%2C0%2C412%2C719%2C412%2C719&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7CoEe%7C&abl=CS&pfx=0&fu=8336&bc=31&ifi=1&uci=a!1&fsb=1&xpc=ZQJtPa6GRU&p=https%3A//cdn-af.feednews.com&dtd=63
The partial reopening included terminal classes like primary six, junior secondary school three and senior secondary school three. And 29 June has been fixed for the reopening. If there is no escalation to the pandemic spread, other classes will open fully on 15 July.
There are concerns from the public that it is still risky to reopen schools now and put the lives of the students at risk. The fear was mainly expressed by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19. The two bodies represent the interest of the federal government and whatever they say is the order of the federal government.
Governor Seyi Makinde’s approach to the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic is quite different to others in other states. He has not followed the bandwagon by locking down Oyo State. While other state governors are locking down and imposing stringent curfews, Seyi Makinde has allowed the people of the state to go about with their businesses.
While the dreaded disease is at ravaging the whole world and Nigeria, Mr. Making announced he would reopen schools. However, with the order by the federal government that schools shouldn’t be opened yet, how should Makinde handle?
Mr. Makinde has to move on with his plans to allow a partial reopening of schools. The children can’t be kept out of schools forever. The pandemic doesn’t appear to be abating soon and we all need to check the feasibility of the reopening of the locked schools.
A state government has power to shut down or open schools. And in this matter, it was Oyo State Government under Mr. Makinde that shut all the schools. There was no national order to close the schools, hence there shouldn’t be any federal instructions for the reopening.
Every state determined when to shut the schools as the issue of Covid-19 ravaged the country, Mr. Makinde was the one who shut the schools and he has power to reopen them.
Chioma Business Blog 