News

Lagos Assembly berates AOCOED Provost over poor managerial acumen, summons Special Adviser on Education

Published

6 years ago

September 6, 2020

The Lagos State House of Assembly has summoned the Special Adviser on Education, Mr. Tokunbo AbdulWahab to explain the readiness of Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED) Ijanikin for resumption after the reversal of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown order,which for long debarred the continuation of academic session across schools in the country.

Chairman of the House Committee on Education, Hon. Yinka Ogundimu said during the visit of the committee to the institution on Friday 11th September, 2020 that it was obvious that the institution was not ready for resumption based on the facilities on ground to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

As the committee went round the school premises, Ogundimu said that the committee did not see any sign of preparation for the resumption of students on the issue of preventing the spread of COVID-19.

“We did not see where the students could wash their hands, when they resume. Your school was locked just like others and you have been coming to school despite that, yet you are not prepared.

“We don’t work with pictures, we want to see what you have on ground to prevent the spread of COVID-19 before the students would resume.

‘It is obvious that the required items cannot be ready before the students will resume.

“May be you are not aware of the amount of money the state government spent to flatten the curve of COVID-19 and we don’t want it to come up again. Your lives are important to us,” he said.

The lawmaker then called on the Special Adviser on Education to visit the school and make the facilities available, and called on him to explain to the Assembly his plans for the resumption of students in tertiary institutions in Lagos State.

The Provost of the institution, Professor Bidemi Bilikis Lafiaji-Okuneye had earlier told the committee that the institution would ensure that all the COVID-19 protocols were adhered to as the students resume.

Lafiaji-Okuneye stated that that the institution had five schools and that they ensured that there were running waters in front of each school, adding that sanitizers would be provided and that all the students would be told to comply.

“We have also passed out information in our bulletin. We have task force with reflective jackets for the members.

“We will also ensure the use of face masks by all the students, and we have also told the students to watch each other to ensure the use of face masks,” she said.

For examination, she said that the school would ensure physical distancing and that they had stickers to identify the chairs where the students would not sit.

“We also have posters to show that no hugging, no handshake and embracing among the students.

“200 level students will resume first and we will leave a day in-between for 100 level students to come in to write their examinations and leave another two days before they go on holidays,” she said.