Poly students protest, demand reopening of higher institutions within 14 days

• Warn FG against playing global politics on schools’ resumption
• Oyo State government lauds teachers, amends school calendar

The National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) has vowed to paralyse the economic activities in the country if governments refuse to reopen higher institutions within 14 days.

The NAPS, which demanded the reopening of all tertiary institutions in the interest of the students, gave the warning during a peaceful protest in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The association, led by its National President, Olalere Adetunji, pointed out that now that markets, worship centres and other places earlier locked down following the outbreak of COVID-19 have been reopened, tertiary institutions should not be abandoned.

The protesters with placards of various inscriptions such as “COVID-19 is not a death sentence,” “Adamu, we want a specific date for our resumption,” “Open our campuses now” and a host of others, urged the Federal Government to give a specific date for reopening of the institutions with no further delay.

The students, who condemned the attitude of the Federal Ministry of Education to the plight of Nigerian students, said: “We cannot continue to keep mute in the face of bad policy, most especially that has to do with the education sector.

“All we need from the Federal Government is to stop partaking in the global politics, and come out with a specific date for schools’ reopening. “Federal Ministry of Education should wake up to the task on provision of preventive measures across the tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

“If the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) members are not ready to go back to classes, their salaries should be stopped henceforth.”

Meanwhile, Oyo State government has lauded teachers in the state as the heroes of the successful resumption of classes in the state despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Also, the state’s Ministry of Education has announced slight adjustment to the school calendar earlier made public.

The state’s Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Olasunkanmi Olaleye, in a statement, yesterday, said that the state government was appreciative of the commitment of the teachers to its programmes.

He said that there would be continuation of lessons for SSS3 class till the commencement of West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) on August 17, 2020, with the students expected to resume on Monday, August 3, 2020.

Junior Secondary School III and Primary Six classes are to proceed on holiday as earlier scheduled and resume for their examinations on August 10 and 20, 2020 respectively.

The adjustment, according to the commissioner, was in conformity with the agreement reached by the federal and state governments with the West African Examination Council (WAEC).