The Lagos State Government has released the approved 2020/2021 academic calendar for primary and secondary schools in the State.
According to the calendar released by the Lagos State Ministry of Education, public and private schools will resume First Term academic activities on Monday, 21st September, 2020 and end on Friday, 18th December, 2020.
The Second Term starts on Monday, 4th January, 2021 and runs until Friday, 16th April, 2021, while students will resume for Third Term on Tuesday, 4th May, 2021 and close on Friday, 6th August, 2021.
The Director-General, Office of Education Quality Assurance (OEQA), Mrs. Abiola Seriki-Ayeni, enjoined all public and private schools in Lagos State to adhere strictly to the harmonised school calendar, urging school leaders to have qualitative health and safety plans that will help protect students, teachers and workers as schools reopen.
“It is not enough to reopen but to stay open since some schools all over the world had to shut down after reopening due to a spike in the pandemic. All schools must, therefore, make efforts to comply with these requirements, not just for the improvement of the overall school operations but for the safe reopening of academic activities to support the Lagos State Government’s quest for a full return”, the DG said.
While advising schools to have flexible teaching and learning plans, where students and teachers who feel sick can teach or learn from home via available online platforms, Seriki-Ayeni said schools must strive to avoid any COVID-19 infection among all students and staff.
The Director-General further advised that teachers, students and visitors must wear facemasks at all times, observe physical distancing, embrace regularly handwashing with soap under running water and maintain a high standard of personal hygiene within the school premises.
She emphasised that schools must have an isolation/holding bay to care for medical emergencies should anyone come up with symptoms such as cough, headache, catarrh, difficulty in breathing, sneezing and fever.
Seriki-Ayeni also stated further that measures put in place by the government include online registration of public and private schools in Lagos State with the OEQA, taking a School Self-Risk Assessment as well as undergoing an online training course in order to obtain the reopening clearance for academic activities on the OEQA website: www.oeqalagos.com.
Noting that the registration exercise will help the Office to determine the level of preparedness as well as guide schools on conditions for a safe reopening, she implored school leaders to embrace new learning styles like outdoor classes, staggered attendance, platooning or alternative attendance, among others, in collaboration with parents to foster a safe and secure environment.
