Why shut Bayelsa schools can’t reopen now —Dickson

The Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, has said his administration is not in a hurry to reopen shut schools in the state because of the need to protect children who are vulnerable to waterborne diseases.

Dickson had ordered the closure of primary, secondary and tertiary schools in the state on September 29 as a result of flooding, which ravaged about 70 per cent of the state.

However, the governor assured the people of the state that the schools would not be closed for too long.

According to him, the Ministry of Education is working towards ensuring that the closure of the schools in the state does not affect the overall performance of students in the forthcoming West African Senior School Certificate Examination.

Dickson noted that while the flood had started to recede, government was more concerned about the health and safety of the children.

He said, “We ordered a closure of all schools about a month ago to ensure the safety of the children. But now that the flood is receding, we will do everything possible to make our schools habitable before announcing the resumption of schools.

“But let me assure you that that will not be too long from now. The state Ministry of Education is monitoring the water level and making daily reports to me. We are not in a hurry to push children who are vulnerable to harm’s way.

“On the issue of the performance of our students in national examinations, I want to assure you that government will encourage all schools to make some adjustments to enable them to make up for lost time.”