COVID-19: Schools to remain shut — FG 

All schools including tertiary institutions are to remain shut indefinitely, the Federal Government said on Wednesday.

The government had earlier announced that schools would reopen on August 5.

The Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, told State House correspondents at the end of the meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari that Nigerian schools will not reopen any time soon.

“The schools will not reopen until it is safe to do so because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

This year’s examination, administered by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), was postponed indefinitely in April after it was scheduled to commence in May.

However, Minister of State for Education, Mr Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, announced during a media briefing on July 6, 2020 that the exam will now take place between August 4 and September 5.

But Adamu said final year students preparing for the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) will not be allowed to return to school contrary to the earlier announcement. 

He said the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) cannot determine the resumption date for schools in Nigeria. 

The minister said he would prefer that Nigerian students lose an academic year than to expose them to dangers.