From Bola Ogunlayi, Ibadan
Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde has hinted that schools in the state may remain shut till July 15, 2020.
The schools were abruptly shut down due to the pandemic Corona Virus that caught everybody napping.
By that date, the second term could resume and get concluded within two weeks, while the third term will kick off immediately,the Governor explained.
Engr. Makinde made the disclosure at the Secretariat of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Agodi, Ibadan, during a special programme to mark this year’s Workers Day.
The governor said July 15 is a “drop-dead date” already picked by the government, noting that the administration remained hopeful that it will be able to reopen schools by that date.
He said: “I was having a discussion with private school owners and the schools are all closed. They rely on the school fees to pay the teachers they have employed. Now, the children are at home, they have to keep the teacher but there is no fund to pay. My idea is, we need to let the parents know that this period that their children are at home, we take it as their long vacation.
“We have a drop-dead date of July 15th. We are hopeful that we will be able to open the schools by July 15th and if we do that, they will complete the two weeks of the second term and immediately start the third term. This means there would not be any long holiday again and they will just flip around and start the next term”, the Governor added.