Uncertainty dogs admission for students awaiting school cert results

The federal government is said to be wary of reopening schools in order to avoid a spike in the already increasing cases of the novel COVID-19 infection.

The government had earlier sent guidelines for the safe reopening of schools to the National Assembly before the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 announced the phased resumption of classes, beginning with graduating students, who are due to write external exams including SSS3 students.

The government said the document containing the guidelines was developed in consultation with interest groups and relevant stakeholders and was meant to provide the necessary support to school managers.

On Friday, the Ministry of Education gave school owners up to July 29 as the deadline to meet the guidelines for safe reopening at a later date.

Some of the key things expected to be considered by school managers are whether or not the spread of the virus has been slowed down consistently, at least in the preceding two weeks, the ability of schools to implement infection prevention and control measures, and the capacity of the healthcare systems nationwide to promptly detect and contain an upward surge in the number of coronavirus cases if a second wave occurs.

In the same vein, as basic and secondary schools prepare to reopen, higher institutions too would start the 2020/2021 admission exercise for first and second choice candidates by August 21, even though the leadership of the academic staff union of universities is against reopening.

Ironically, agreement has not been reached with examination bodies, particularly the West African Examination Council (WAEC), on the new date for the school certificate examination.

This may likely affect the chances of admission for hundreds of candidates who wrote the Unified Tertiary Admission Examination (UTME) and are awaiting their results.

The Ministry of Education has said it will make arrangement for candidates seeking admission and awaiting their results even as JAMB spokesman, Dr Fabian Benjamin, confirmed that candidates without the results of certificate exams would not get admission.

A source said Nigerian students who missed exams prepared by WAEC have the advantage of writing that of the National Examination Council (NECO).