The National Parents Teachers’ Association of Nigeria has said it is disturbed about the declaration by the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, that school children in the country would not be allowed to sit the West African Senior School Certificate Examination slated for August 4 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Alhaji Haruna Danjuma , NAPTAN National President, in an interview with newsmen said the association had settled to meet Adamu by Monday to seek an amicable solution.
The Association (NAPTAN) had in the last week of May called on the government to reopen schools nationwide “to pupils who will be sitting external examinations of the West African Examinations Council and the National Examinations Council.”
NAPTAN said parents had resolved to work together with schools to put measures in place such as the provision of face masks, hand washing containers, and hand sanitisers to minimise the risks of virus contraction by the pupils.
Responding to Adamu’s directive that pupils would not be able to sit the WASSCE this year, Danjuma said parents were confused and that they would seek an audience with the government on the matter.
He said, “Surprisingly, we heard from the Federal Ministry of Education that the government has suspended the reopening of schools. This is very confusing; we don’t know what to do. We are waiting for whatever will come after this.
“On our side at NAPTAN, we are planning to go to the ministry and meet with the minister or his representatives to hear from them. It should be on Monday.”
Recall that the Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, in a press briefing by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 last Monday announced that the 2020 WASSCE conducted by WAEC would hold between August 4 and September 5.
However, Adamu said on Wednesday that all federal schools would remain closed until it was comfortable to reopen them. He also advised state governments that had announced school resumption plans to withdraw such announcements.
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