Ebola: Schools may resume mid-September – Minister

The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, said on Wednesday that students in private and public schools across country may resume from their summer holiday by middle of September. Chukwu disclosed this to journalists at the end of Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan. The Federal Government had last month postponed school resumption across the country in a bid to curb the spread of the deadly Ebola Virus Disease. The Federal Government announced that schools (primary and secondary) were to resume on 13 October. Chukwu said the expert opinion on Ebola, with the strong containment efforts by the government, is that the students can resume earlier than 13 October. The new resumption date, he said, will be announced by the Minister of Education after meeting with states Commissioners for Education and other stakeholders, who were involved in fixing the October 13 date.

The minister said that there are presently 296 contacts under surveillance in the country. “The 296 under surveillance includes 255 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State and 41 in Lagos State. He noted that after three weeks of surveillance in Lagos, 320 persons have been removed from surveillance list in the state.”

Since the FG announced the postponement of school resumption, school management particularly private school owners has urged the federal government to reconsider its pronouncement, arguing that, it will distort school calendar.