(SAN), Mr Afe Babalola
Legal luminary and founder, Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti,
Chief Afe Babalola, on Monday, advised the Federal Government
against waiting till all towns and villages in the country are free
from COVID-19 before reopening schools.
Babalola, who said “only the Almighty God Himself can determine
when the current coronavirus pandemic will be eradicated globally,”
added that “the daily increase in the number of patients does not
suggest that COVID-19 will soon come to an end”.
The ABUAD founder, who, in a statement in Ado Ekiti on Monday,
said schools nationwide were “hurriedly” closed down by government
fiat on March 23 when some pupils and students were either writing
examinations or embarking on final-year examinations, offered
advice on how the Federal Government could reopen the schools and
universities within four weeks in phases.
Babalola listed the conditions under which “private institutions
should be allowed to resume academic activities within four
weeks”.
These, he said, included that “the school must establish that it
has residential accommodation for all students including most, if
not all the staff.
“Parents shall give written undertakings supported with medical
certificates that the student is fit/healthy to resume academic
work.
“There shall be about three running water tanks at the gate
where students will wash their hands with soap. There shall be
portable sanitisers. Each student must be armed with the portable
sanitiser. There shall be infrared thermometers at the gate where
students, staff and anybody coming into the university shall be
tested by a nurse or medical personnel.
“The university must have in place the following testing
machines: Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR Machine) and Serological
Test Machine.
“Each school must have in place a building specially designed to
accommodate any student who is suspected to have any type of
infectious disease ranging from cough, chickenpox, measles,
diarrhea etc other than COVID-19.”
He added that each university must have two functional
fumigation machines and “ensure all hostels, classrooms, cafeteria,
conference halls, and sports facilities shall be fumigated before
resumption”.
Babalola also advised that the schools must have testing kits as
“the students must undergo test fortnightly in addition to the
provision for face masks which shall be used by students and staff
in classrooms, conference halls and everywhere on the campus”.
He also advised staggered resumption, saying, the final-year
students forced to go home while preparing for their final
examination should resume first, take their examination and vacate
the university within two to three weeks. Thereafter, the next
level of students that will resume shall be new students who will
undergo the same set of tests like those of final year
students”.
According to the ABUAD founder, the prescriptions for private
universities shall also apply to public universities with some
variations.
(SAN), Mr Afe Babalola
Legal luminary and founder, Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti,
Chief Afe Babalola, on Monday, advised the Federal Government
against waiting till all towns and villages in the country are free
from COVID-19 before reopening schools.
Babalola, who said “only the Almighty God Himself can determine
when the current coronavirus pandemic will be eradicated globally,”
added that “the daily increase in the number of patients does not
suggest that COVID-19 will soon come to an end”.
The ABUAD founder, who, in a statement in Ado Ekiti on Monday,
said schools nationwide were “hurriedly” closed down by government
fiat on March 23 when some pupils and students were either writing
examinations or embarking on final-year examinations, offered
advice on how the Federal Government could reopen the schools and
universities within four weeks in phases.
Babalola listed the conditions under which “private institutions
should be allowed to resume academic activities within four
weeks”.
These, he said, included that “the school must establish that it
has residential accommodation for all students including most, if
not all the staff.
“Parents shall give written undertakings supported with medical
certificates that the student is fit/healthy to resume academic
work.
“There shall be about three running water tanks at the gate
where students will wash their hands with soap. There shall be
portable sanitisers. Each student must be armed with the portable
sanitiser. There shall be infrared thermometers at the gate where
students, staff and anybody coming into the university shall be
tested by a nurse or medical personnel.
“The university must have in place the following testing
machines: Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR Machine) and Serological
Test Machine.
“Each school must have in place a building specially designed to
accommodate any student who is suspected to have any type of
infectious disease ranging from cough, chickenpox, measles,
diarrhea etc other than COVID-19.”
He added that each university must have two functional
fumigation machines and “ensure all hostels, classrooms, cafeteria,
conference halls, and sports facilities shall be fumigated before
resumption”.
Babalola also advised that the schools must have testing kits as
“the students must undergo test fortnightly in addition to the
provision for face masks which shall be used by students and staff
in classrooms, conference halls and everywhere on the campus”.
He also advised staggered resumption, saying, the final-year
students forced to go home while preparing for their final
examination should resume first, take their examination and vacate
the university within two to three weeks. Thereafter, the next
level of students that will resume shall be new students who will
undergo the same set of tests like those of final year
students”.
According to the ABUAD founder, the prescriptions for private
universities shall also apply to public universities with some
variations.