RESUMPTION: MOST SCHOOLS IN ENUGU COMPLY WITH COVID-19 PROTOCOL

Reporter : CHRISTIAN NWANGENE & ISRAEL ADEJUGBE

Students in Enugu State return to classes Monday January 18, 2021 after an extended Christmas and New Year break following second wave of the COVID-19 in parts of the country and the world.

In most of the schools visited, the school authorities and their students complied with the COVID-19 protocol while others partially adhered to the guidelines, including some teachers.

At Federal Government College, Enugu, students were not allowed entry untill they passed through necessary screening protocol.

Although, the Principal of the college, Alhaji Raji Muritala Adewale, was not available to speak with Radio Nigeria, the Vice Principal Administration, Mrs. Uche Lla, said, the school authority communicated the requirements to all the parents through text messages.

Two students of Federal Government College Enugu, Master Kingsley Nnamani, and Miss Favor Chukwu, said they were happy to return to school.

For the Principal, Queen’s School, Enugu, Mrs. Ada Nweke, the school made it compulsory that every student had hand sanitizers and wore facemasks before they were allowed into the compound.

At Uwani Secondary School, the Principal of the college, Mr. Robert Okorie, told Radio Nigeria that the Guidance and Counseling Unit of the school had been instructed to commence regular sensitization of the students while the usual general assembly, had been suspended to ensure physical distancing.

According to Mr. Okorie, the school had also made provision to assist those who could not afford facemasks, while the School’s COVID-19 Committee had been directed to ensure compliance.

Radio Nigeria observed that more sensitization was necessary for both students and teachers to wear their facemasks as a responsibility and not to avoid punshiment, as some of them only scrambled to put on their facemasks when they noticed the presence of Radio Nigeria.

Meanwhile, there was low turnout of pupils at Ekulu primary school, Government Technical College, and Government Secondary School as only few students were seen in the classes receiving lessons.

In an interview, one of the Head Teachers at Ekulu Primary School, Mrs. Ifenyinwa Chime, called on parents to release their wards for school as measures had been put in place to ensure prevention of the spread of the COVID-19.

Also, at Government Technical College, students had their facemasks on and were seen having classes, while those who did not come with facemasks were handed one by the principal.

In an interview, the Principal, Mr. Kenneth Okechukwu Ogili, urged parents to provide their children and wards with facemasks as they returned to school.

At the Government Secondary School, GRA, new students were seen undergoing registration.

It was observed that there was total compliance to the rules put in place to prevent the spread of Coronaviru disease.