Not all the states are complying with the Federal
Government's directive to reopen schools today. The
Federal Government had asked all public and private
primary and secondary schools to reopen today,
following the containment of the Ebola Virus Disease
over which holidays had been extended in the first
place.
Schools in most of the 36 states, as well as in the
Federal Capital Territory, are reopening today.
But Niger, Kebbi, Zamfara and Jigawa states have
postponed the resumption till October 13, so as to avoid
closing the schools again after just a week for the Eid
el-Kabir holidays.
For their parts, Osun and Rivers states have asked their
students to resume on October 6, while Lagos schools
will reopen on October 8, while the state governments
put in place preventive measures against the Ebola
disease. Schools in Kwara and Kebbi states will also not
reopen today.
In Kebbi, the state chapter of the NUT said schools in the
state would not re-open until teachers received proper
training on how to prevent the Ebola disease.
They advised parents to keep their children at home
until preventive measures were put in place. Private
schools in Kwara State also agreed to shelve their
planned resumption today.
President of the proprietors' association, Alhaji
Adetunji Abdulrahman, told Daily Trust after a meeting
yesterday that member schools decided to suspend their
resumption to ensure that all the necessary facilities
were put in place in their respective schools to prevent
Ebola.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education,
Alhaji Lamidi Alabi, also told our correspondent that the
postponement was to put the necessary facilities in
place.
But in Kaduna, Education Commissioner Ibrahim Ali
asked schools to resume today, noting that distribution
of infrared thermometers to both private and public
schools has commenced.
Teachers in the state had earlier been trained on the
Ebola virus disease and its prevention. The state
government also directed that all pupils/students be
screened before being allowed into school premises.
President of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) in
Kaduna, Haruna Danjuma, appealed to parents to
release their children/wards, saying their fears had
been allayed by the state government.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) and
the Association of Private Schools have differed on the
school resumption date.
While the NUT told teachers not to resume until required
preventive measures against Ebola are put in place in
schools, private school proprietors have directed their
workers to resume today.
The national presidents of the two unions, Michael
Alogba Olukoya and Dr. Rabi'u R Kurfi, announced the
stands of the union.
In Abuja, Education Minister Ibrahim Shekarau
yesterday said state governments should determine the
resumption date of schools in their domain.
The minister's spokesman, Sule Ya'u Sule, told Daily
Trust that states have the power to decide when their
schools should resume, depending on their
peculiarities. He said the Federal Government only
intervened on the issue of resumption date because of
fears of spread of o Ebola disease.
But the 104 Federal Unity Colleges (FUCs) throughout
the country will be shut indefinitely from today on the
orders of Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria
(ASCSN).
The association said the development followed the
government's inability to pay their outstanding salaries
and promotion arrears as well as other entitlements.
A statement issued in Calabar, Cross River State, at the
weekend signed by ASCSN Secretary-General, Comrade
Alade Bashir Lawal, said offices of the Federal Ministry
of Education as well as the Inspectorate Departments of
the ministry across the country would be locked.
"The issues in dispute include non-payment of
outstanding promotion arrears for 2007-2010 and the
balance of 2011 promotion arrears, promotion arrears
for 2012-2013, unpaid salaries to some staff for July,
August, September and October 2013, end-of-year
incentives, non-payment of first 28 days in lieu of
hotel accommodation and 2010 Head of Service
organised mandatory training allowance. Others are;
repatriation allowance, duty tour allowance, non-
placement of promoted officers, etc," the statement
said.
The statement noted that the Federal Ministry of
Education admitted that N1.8 billion was released to it
this year to settle all outstanding liabilities including
salaries and allowances.







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FG should please do the needful so that our unity colleges won't go the way of ASUU and ASUP.