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Kunle Sotibi and Seun Muritala
Claim
On the 18th of August, 2020, an online news platform, myschoolnews.com.ng, reported what they tagged breaking news, claiming that, the Federal Government, Vice-Chancellors of universities in Nigeria, and National Universities Commission (NUC) had agreed on September 7, 2020, for school resumption.
‘‘Information has it that the federal government (FG), all Vice-Chancellors (VCs) and National Universities Commission (NUC) have agreed to reopen all schools in Nigeria on September 7, 2020, after a long meeting during the weekend”- myschool.com.ng reported
The news also claimed that the Federal Government has assured the general public that the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) won’t halt the agreement of all schools in Nigeria to reopen on September 7, 2020.
‘‘Second semester is expected to begin on October 30, 2020”- myschoolnews.com.ng reported.
Myschoolnews.com.ng also claims that, as a form of learning activity, teachers and lecturers must administer examinations within 2 weeks after 3 weeks of revision.
Myschoolnews.com.ng concluded the news by reporting that ‘‘Note that all federal, state and private universities have been directed to use this official academic calendar to be used ahead of September 7 resumption and should be used for running academic activities after the shutdown of schools forced by COVID-19”.
Roundcheck Findings
Following the global pandemic occasioned by the outbreak of coronavirus, students in Nigerian tertiary institutions were directed to vacate school premises in March 2020.
Earlier today(August 18, 2020), the news about tertiary institutions resuming on September 7th, 2020 surfaced on the internet(published by myschoolnews.com.ng). This has led to mixed feelings among students in Nigeria.
However, in a chat with the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Abel Idowu Olayinka in conservation with round check said “There’s no official communication to us yet. We are naturally very excited about the possibility of resumption soon.”
This is an indication that there is no official date fixed yet for the students who have been at home for about 5 months. The Vice-Chancellor could not confirm the claim that FG, VCs, and NUC agreed on September 7th as the date for school resumption.
In a news report published by Premium Times news platform on August 18, 2020, it reported that ASUU said that Nigerian Universities won’t reopen even if Federal Government reopens schools. Read here
“Should the federal government eventually ask schools to resume, university administrators will comply, but Mr. Ogunyemi’s explanation indicates the lecturers will not be resuming classes until ASUU’s concerns are addressed”, Premium Times reported.
Also, according to a news report published by Guardian news platform on August 17, 2020, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin said that there’s no resumption date yet for students, ‘‘Prof. Sulyman Abdulkareem, Vice-Chancellor, University of Ilorin, says no date has been fixed for resumption of academic activities for students of the university who had been out of school since the outbreak of COVID-19”., The Guardian Nigeria reported. See here
Conclusion
The news is misleading.
Nigerian students should debunk any news claiming that schools will reopen on September 7, 2020. Also, the public should note that the FG, VCs, and NUC did not agree on September 7 resumption date.
