Babalola Gives FG 15-Point Prescription on How to Reopen Schools, Says Only God Can Determine When Coronavirus Crisis Will End

Legal luminary, Afe Babalola (SAN), has offered prescriptions on how the federal government can reopen schools in phases within four weeks.

Babalola, who is the founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) gave the 15-prescription on Monday. He said the prescription was important for the reopening of schools as “only the Almighty God Himself can determine when the current coronavirus pandemic will come to an end globally.”

“Private institutions, which are reputed for quality and functional education, predictable academic calendar, moral and physical training, discipline, clean environment, and personal hygiene should be allowed to resume academic activities within four weeks after they must have been certified to have fulfilled the under listed conditions:

“The school must establish that it has residential accommodation for all students, including most, if not all, the members of staff.

“Parents shall give written undertakings supported with medical certificates that the student is fit/healthy to resume academic work.

“The institution, which must be fenced, must have the main gate manned by security men, nurses and other medical personnel.

“There shall be about three running water tanks at the gate where students will wash their hands with soap. There shall be portable sanitisers similar to those manufactured by ABUAD with NAFDAC registration number 037328. Each student must be armed with the portable sanitiser.

“There shall be infrared thermometers at the gate where students, members of 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” he said.

“Each university must have two functional fumigation machines: one for external fumigation and the other for internal fumigation.

“All hostels, classrooms, cafeteria, conference halls and sports facilities shall be fumigated before resumption.

“The schools must have testing kits as the students must undergo test fortnightly.

“There must be provision for facemasks, which shall be used by students and members of staff in classrooms, conference halls and everywhere on the campus”, the Founder stressed.

“During session, visitors shall not be allowed into the institutions, and if allowed, they shall go through the screening at the gates and seated in a special room outside the hostel and such visitors shall be very few.”

Babalola, recommenced that final year students should resumed first: “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.

“The resumption of other levels of students shall be staggered to ensure compliance with these prescriptions, the Ministry of Education in states where the private institutions are situated shall, on behalf of the Federal Government, visit the private institutions and give a certificate of compliance with the above suggestions before such private institutions can resume academic activities” he said.