The Lagos State Government has insisted that schools in the state would resume on the scheduled date of January 18 amid fears of the second wave of coronavirus.

Schools were shut across Nigeria in March 2020 when the pandemic first broke out in the country.

Folasade Adefisayo, the commissioner for education announced that the new directive is in line with the federal government decision to reopen schools . 

She added that soap, hand-basins, hand sanitisers, thermometers and essential wearing of face masks are mandatory for all the schools. 

The second term of the 2020/2021 session is expected to begin on January 18.

Opinions are however divided among parents on the safety of reopening schools at a time when the virus is still raging. While some parents are happy that their wards would finally return to studies, others expressed strong reservations over the potentially super-spreader decision.

Some private schools have been deploying e-learning, which has helped them complete the 2020/2021 session. 

Tobi Fagbola, a public commentator, warned that schools must be properly monitored to ensure that the precautions and facilities necessary before resumption are in place.

Rotimi Adeloye, another commentator also mentioned that as a state which is currently experiencing the second wave of COVID-19, authorities must take extreme caution as students might not be able to maintain social distancing and observe the necessary precautions. 

Two boarding schools in Lagos witnessed infestation of COVID-19 last year, leading to their shutdown. 

In a school in Ibeju-Lekki, the spread was said to have been initiated by a teacher who was said to have travelled before coming back to the school.