The Nigerian government has suspended plans to reopen the country’s schools in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Last week, the Nigerian government announced that schools across the country would reopen for secondary and primary school students in their final years to enable them prepare for their final examinations.
But the Education Minister Adamu Adamu has revealed that the schools will remain shut contrary to the earlier plans.
He told reporters at the presidential palace that schools would only reopen when it is safe to do so and not when the number of coronavirus cases is rising in the country.
According to him graduating students too will no longer be allowed to go back to classes because of the risks of spreading the coronavirus.
Fate of graduating students
The decision to suspend the planned reopening of schools means millions of Nigerian students at primary and secondary schools as well as tertiary institutions including universities will most likely not graduate this year.
Nigeria has recorded 30, 249 cases of coronavirus with 684 deaths.
In March 2020, the Nigerian government closed all schools as part of measures to curb the speared of the coronavirus pandemic.
Impact
Experts have warned that the closure of schools has increased the number of Nigerian children into forced labour.
Experts monitoring child labor in the country say since the pandemic shutdown, more children are working as hawkers, cleaners or on city streets begging to earn money to help their families.
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Source: Africafeeds.com
