As primary, secondary and tertiary institutions in the country face lock down as a preventive measure over the dreaded Corona virus (Covid 19), Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu says the state primary and secondary school academic calendar will not be altered or suspended due to the disease.
This is even as he encouraged all lecturers in tertiary institutions across the state to continue interactions with their students using various online platforms.
The Governor who stated this at Government House, Umuahia, while briefing Journalists on preventive measures taken by the state government to forestall the dreaded virus said, “Abia is not panicking about Corona virus and I must not do things because others have done it. I must do things because it is exigent and logical thing to do.
” We will not allow Corona virus to turn us into illiterates so we will encourage online teaching, online tutorials, online contacts using various platforms that are available.
“Whereas I am very keen and serious about taking steps to ensure that all of us are safe, I do not subscribe to panic. This is not a death sentence and I strongly believe that some of us who have been in Africa for a while have dealt with flu. I’ve not seen anybody’s child stop school because he has flu or catarrh.
“The academic calendar that our primary and secondary Schools are running has come to a point where if you punctuate it, what they have learnt and the time they have spent will be useful and parents will have value for their money”.
The Governor who however directed the Commissioner for Education to ensure that all academic activities for the session are concluded before the 30th of this month, also announced the sum of Ten Million Naira to encourage any higher institution willing to take online tutorial as alternative to class room teaching in the interim.
Ikpeazu,while announcing that the 27th convocation ceremony of Abia State University will no longer hold as scheduled due to the development said, ” this is because it is a global event and some people may be coming in from outside Nigeria and it will be improper to begin to think of that convocation under the circumstances”.
He noted that the state government has established two Isolation centres at Amachara General Hospital Umuahia and Abia state University Teaching Hospital Aba, adding that an additional Isolation centre will be established in Abia North senatorial zone.
The Governor while noting that the main strategy of government is to prevent the virus from coming into the state, called on Abians to leverage on the Abia Tele-Health initiative which is 24 hours ready to attend to the seven hundred and twenty two Primary Health centres across the state.
He urged citizens to follow neccessary preventive measures such as regular hand-washing,use of hand sanitizers, avoid crowded places,hand shake and hugging among other measures,assuring that other responsive measures are being put in place to stop the virus from coming into the state.
