The Federal Government has submitted a 36-page document to the Senate containing guidelines before schools and learning institutions in the country can be reopened.

The Minister of Education, Adamu Aduma, who submitted the document, titled: “Guidelines for schools and learning facilities reopening after COVID-19 pandemic closure”, described the conditions as key strategies for implementing safe, efficient, and equitable plans for school reopening and operations.

He noted, “Given that COVID-19 may be with us for a while, the guidelines also highlight the urgent need to maintain and improve upon distance learning programmes.”

Adamu declared that the conditions were drafted after consultations with health, environmental, education, and school safety experts who were tasked with the responsibility of charting a pathway for safely reopening schools and learning facilities for quality teaching and learning.

A major part of the guidelines is that schools must “create immediate temporary” COVID-19 “isolation space” before they can be considered to reopen.

Schools are also mandated to “ensure the establishment of a School COVID-19 Referral System including protocols and procedures to take if learners, teachers, administrators and other education personnel become unwell while in schools.”