The Office of Education Quality Assurance (OEQA) of the State of Lagos has condemned the intended resumption of some privately owned primary and secondary schools in the State. In a statement issued today by the Director-General, OEQA, Mrs Abiola Seriki-Ayeni, the office warned administrators of such schools to desist from reopening, noting that any school caught flouting the directive of the Federal and State governments on closure will be sanctioned.

It has been observed lately how children within some parts of Lagos are allowed by parents to troop to the homes of some teachers in the name of receiving lessons, even without recourse to the safety guidelines like social distancing, hand washing, and hand sanitising. And already, some owners of private primary as well as secondary schools are inviting children to resume.

Mrs Seriki-Ayeni said that to ensure compliance, the Office’s Monitoring and Investigation team will commence compliance monitoring exercises across the State to make sure all schools adhere strictly to the safety directives issued by the government, aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19, a disease that infectious and could be fatal.

She advised the schools asking children to resume, to stop such action that could jeopardise the health and future of innocent children. She explained that the general public will be effectively informed when it is right and safe for students to resume to school.

She called on all the stakeholders to join efforts in curbing the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the State, and appealed to anyone with information on errant schools to contact the Office through its official email addresses which are  info@oeqalagos.com or report@oeqalagos.com

Lagos State is the is the most affected part in Nigeria since the COVID-19 pandemic started in Nigeria towards the end of February. At the last count last night, Lagos State has reached 7103 cases of positive Covid-19. That is as much as or even more than all the other states combined. See cases per State in the picture below.

Due to the fact that Lagos has higher probability of exposure to the virus, it is therefore important that parents are advised to take the safety of the lives of their wards as most paramount over any other thing.