The Education Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has warned proprietors of private schools in the territory against reopening for academic activities while containment measures against the COVID-19 are being implemented.
A statement by the public relations officer of the secretariat, Umaru Marafa, said any school that opened for the 3rd term before the approved calendar date for reopening school was doing so against the provisions of the extant guidelines on the establishment and operation of schools in the FCT.
“School proprietors are, therefore, advised to maintain the status quo and keep their schools closed and not re-open in any form while they await further directives from the FCTA. Violators of this directive will face the full wrath of the law,” he said in the statement.
He explained that the secretariat has concluded plans to introduce e-learning platforms which would include lessons on radio and television to keep the students engaged while the lockdown lasted.
Marafa added that the FCTA Education Secretariat had to issue the warning after it noticed that some private schools in the FCT were disseminating information to parents and students indicating the resumption of the 2019/2020 3rd term calendar online and parents were therefore expected to pay schools fees for this term before the purported resumption.
“The education secretariat wishes to remind school proprietors, parents and the general public that the directive closing all schools at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic explicitly stated that this directive was in effect “until further notice” which implies that no academic activities in all schools in any form shall commence until a notice to reopen is approved and conveyed by the secretariat.
“The implication of this is that when the schools will be reopened, adequate notice of the fact that the 2nd term was inconclusive will be factored into the academic calendar which will dovetail into the 3rd term accordingly.
‘‘Any action taken otherwise is likely to negatively distort the academic calendar of the schools involved,” he further said.
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