The Government of Plateau State has ordered public and private schools in the state not to accommodate more than 20 students in a class, in strict compliance to social/physical distancing protocol of COVID-19.
The executive Chairman of the Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) in the state, Prof. Mathew Sule, made this disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Jos.
The SUBEB boss explained that before the COVID-19 pandemic, the required standard from UNESCO was 40 to 50 students to a teacher in a class.
“For the nursery section in the past, we used to have 25 pupils, but the number has been reduced by the state government to 10 or maximum of 15 pupils to a teacher.
“The reduction is aimed at ensuring that the children are well-spaced to avoid direct contact and the spread of the deadly disease,” he stated.
Sule further added, that the Plateau SUBEB has trained teachers in primary and junior secondary schools on the COVID-19 protocols.
The SUBEB Chairman also hinted that as a result of the reduced number of pupils in the classrooms, schools would now be operated on two shifts.
“Some students will attend classes in the morning and others in the afternoon,” he said.
Information gathered from NAN indicated that the Plateau State government will announce an official date for the resumption of school activities by the end of October.
The report also informed that, in an effort to prepare the ground for school reopening, the government will set up a Committee, to be headed by the Secretary to the Government, as well as sub-committees on Readiness and Compliance, headed by the Commissioner for secondary Education and Chairman, SUBEB.
It would be recalled that the Federal Government has ordered Unity schools across the country to fully reopen by October 12, 2020. The announcement came about six months of intensive effort, in trying to curb and curtail the spread of the deadly COVID-19 disease, which incidentally led to the closure of schools.
