The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) on Monday, has announced that it would hold a meeting on the COVID-19 pandemic and compliance as school resume across the country.
The Secretary-General of the NUT, Mike Ene, made this known to journalists in Abuja while saying that the meeting would appraise compliance with COVID-19 protocols with the aim of ensuring the safety of teachers and their pupils.
On the safety rules for schools, Ene said “I cannot tell you whether anybody is complying with COVID-19 protocols in states. I have never asked anybody because since we are all going to speak on it, there is no point calling anybody. We have called an NEC (National Executive Committee) meeting for Thursday to look at how the resumptions have been.”
He has earlier advised teachers to avoid hugging one another, while saying the duty of state governments is to provide personal protective equipment, adding that the union had directed its members to assess what each state provided.
“If the government provides everything and there is running water, children know what to do. We have imbibed this practice of washing of hands. All we want is to ensure that there is a regular water supply. We should avoid hugging one another and handshaking.
“Our pupils and students have really wasted time and keeping them at home longer will mean that their brains will be retarded. If markets, where everybody goes are not shut, I don’t know why schools should be shut.”
It would be recalled that public and private schools resumed academic activities yesterday across the country amid fear of COVID-19, as the government strives to combat the rising cases of the virus.
