All is now set for the resumption of school activities in Lagos State following the decision by the government to open all schools on Sept. 22.

In a survey of the schools by the News Agency of Nigeria, spokesmen of many of the schools said they were ready to resume on Monday.

But not so in neighbouring Ogun state, where a new resumption date has been set for 8 October.

Oyo state too is not ready. It wants its schools to resume 6 October.

The Secretary to the Ogun state government (SSG), Mr Taiwo Adeoluwa, said the development followed an evaluation meeting between representatives of the government and stakeholders in the education sector held on Friday.

Students of Government Senior Secondary School, Agege

The SSG said that the government was eager to open schools on Sept. 22 in line with Federal Government’s directive, but the level of preparation in some of the schools were not satisfactory.

“Left to the government, we want to return the students to school on Sept. 22,’’ Adeoluwa said.

“But the operators raised the issue of gadgets and when we went round, we discovered that the facilities in some schools need to be improved. The consensus among the stakeholders is that it is better to tread the path of caution by shifting the resumption date than to risk the safety of our children.

“We need to conduct a very active evaluation and monitoring exercise and ensure that our schools are indeed ready to contain any possible outbreak of Ebola and also to prevent other diseases before the students return.’’

In Lagos, The Principal, King’s College, Lagos, Mr Oladele Olapeju, told NAN that all was set for the resumption of academic activities in the college come Sept. 22.

Olapeju noted that all the necessary facilities required to be put in place before the resumption were already intact.

He said the college management had organised a sensitisation exercise for the teachers on how to check the spread of the disease, in line with the government’s directive.

“I am sure before you entered this college for this interview you must have been screened for your temperature level.

“This is part of the things we have done to ensure that our children remain safe and I know with God on our side, none of our students shall be struck with this terrible disease,” he said.

Mrs Uche Agbazue, the Head Teacher of Santa Maria Montessori School, Alaka Estate, Surulere, said the school was well prepared for the Sept. 22 resumption and measures had been put in place to ensure the students and teachers were health conscious toward Ebola.

“If you look around the school, you would find that we are well prepared for resumption on Monday. We have the infrared temperature thermometer, sanitisers and wash hand basins by the playground and the halls.

“Our teachers are also well prepared, having taken some training exercises from Red Cross personnel and flyers have been made and would be distributed on resumption,” she said.

Mrs Seun Seun, the Front Desk Secretary at Pampers Private School, Surulere, also said that the school was making efforts to keep children and the environment safe.

‘`Everyone is working hard to ensure that the environment is safe for the children coming back on Monday, and we are strongly prepared to check everyone who enters the school.

“Attention would be drawn to pupils and parents with high temparature and other abnormal occurrences,” the official said.

Mr Adebayo Badmos, the Proprietor of May Day College, Surulere, said the school was bent on adapting a` health first’ approach to the resuming students.

“They would all be screened for their safety and the prevention of the spread of the Ebola virus on Monday.

“As far as I am concerned, we are ready to commence the new session,” Badmos said.

Mr Wasiu Erinfolarmi, the Vice-Principal of Jubril Martins College, Iponri, Surulere, said the school’s directorate would provide the necessary items needed, to commence a safe session on Sept. 22.