Kogi Government on Monday said it was very comfortable with the turnout of learners and the level of schools’ compliance with the safety protocols against the COVID-19 pandemic in the state.

The state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Hon. Wemi Jones, FCIB, made the remark while speaking with newsmen after he led a team from the ministry to monitor students’ resumption in schools in Lokoja.

“We are very comfortable with the turnout of students and we are pleased with the level of compliance with safety protocols on COVID-19.

''It is quite encouraging and impressive in all the public and private schools we visited'', he said.

He stressed that there had been no panic in Kogi State as far as COVID-19 was concerned, saying the state had never recorded any death of student on account of COVID-19 pandemic.

The commissioner, however advised the students to take personal responsibility for their personal hygiene, take good care of themselves and their environment both at home and in school, saying, ”we will not lose any of you in Jesus name”.

He urged the teachers to immediately hit the ground running and cover the lost time as soon as possible, saying there was a very limited time.

He directed the principals of schools to always conduct assessment tests for students on the first day of resumption of each term in order to encourage students' turnout. 

Earlier while addressing the students, the Commissioner welcomed them back to school, adding that the State Government had been very proactive in ensuring that schools were safe for resumption for students.

He urged the students to study very hard and focused on their academic so as to make their family, the state and the nation proud. 

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Pastor Emmanuel Idenyi, advised parents and guardians to release their wards for resumption, saying the term was too short for any student to miss any lecture.

Idenyi further urged principals and head teachers to strictly comply with the revised academic calendar from the ministry for schools in the state. 

On his part, Mr Godwin Yakubu, the Principal, Government Day Secondary School (GDSS), Adankolo, Lokoja, thanked the commissioner for monitoring schools to ensure compliance.

Yakubu, who doubles as the National Secretary of All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), commended Governor Yahaya Bello, for his undaunted support for education in the state.

Yakubu further called on principals of schools across the federation to adhere strictly to the safety protocols on COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the students, Julius Solomon in JSS 2 and Aminat Rufai in SSS3 at GDSS, said that they were very happy to be back to school in spite the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic across the country. 

Other schools visited were: Bishop Cowther Memorial College, Muslim Community Secondary School, Bishop Delisle College, Saint Luke Primary School, Saint Clement Minor Seminary, UBE/JSS Adankolo, Lokoja, among others.