WAEC: Kaduna Govt directs reopening of schools in August 8

Kaduna state Government on Monday directed secondary schools to open from 10 August to enable the final year students in the Senior Secondary School to write the West African Secondary School Certificate Examination, WASSEC.

State Commissioner for Education, Dr Shehu Makarfi, in a statement in Kaduna on Monday, stated that the directive was in compliance with the Federal Ministry of Education resolution for schools to open on August 4.

This, according to Makarfi, “This will enable final-year students to write their West African Examination Council, National Examination Council, and other certificate examinations.”

 “Governor Nasir El-Rufai has approved Monday, August 10 as the resumption date for the SSS 3 students that are expected to begin their WAEC examination slated for August 17.

“Therefore, the Ministry of Education is directing all school principals to arrange to receive SSS 3 boarding students on August 9 and day students on August 10.

“All administrators of public and private schools are to note that the one-week period commencing from today is to allow for necessary preparations and arrangements to meet COVID-19 guidelines for the opening of schools.

“Principals are to ensure compliance to agreed guidelines, which include reduced hours of work/revision to four hours per shift, social distancing in classes, laboratories, libraries, and hostels,” he said.

He added that there should also be consistency in temperature monitoring and handing over of any suspected case of COVID-19 to health authorities.

Makarfi warned that no school should open before August 10, except for boarding schools, where students are expected to arrive on August 9.

The commissioner further directed private secondary schools in the state to report their readiness to open to the schools’ Quality Assurance Authority.

He said private schools should report, using the appropriate checklist and obtain a written ‘no objection to open’, on clean bill of health.

He also asked that the head of higher institutions and principals of secondary schools should report to the relevant department in the ministry.

Makarfi said appropriate dates for other examinations would be announced in due course, including school opening for the rest of the classes including SSS1, SSS2, JSS 1 to 3, and primary schools.

He encouraged schools to continue the e-learning programme using Google class, Zoom, radio and television, and other online platforms until normalcy returned.