Lorine Emenike
Rivers State taskforce for compliance of civid-19 protocols has expressed satisfaction with the level of compliance by some schools in the required protocols.
The taskforce made the observation during a visit to some public and private schools in Obio Akpor and Port Harcourt local government area following the reopening of schools in the state.
The schools visited include Ignatius Ajuru University of Education Rumuolumenu Port Harcourt, Jephthah Comprehensive Port Harcourt, Government Girls Secondary School Rumuokwuta Port Harcourt, Community Secondary School Rumuepirikom.
Others were Government Secondary School Borokiri Port Harcourt, Helitonia High School Borokiri, Port Harcourt, Methodist Girls High School Harbour Road Port Harcourt and Stella Marris College Port Harcourt.
Addressing journalists at the end of the monitoring exercise, the chairman of the taskforce who is also the administrator of greater Port Harcourt, Ambassador Akawor said the move was to ensure that principals and proprietors of schools were intandem with covid-19 protocols as directed by the state government.
Ambassador Akawor who spoke through the head of the state civil service, Rufus Godwins, particularly expressed happiness with the management of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education and Jephthah Comprehensive Secondary School for demonstrating high level of compliance with the protocols.
He however observed some lapses in some of the schools visited and urged the management of those schools to take proactive steps to improve on them while providing more infrared hand held thermometers for temperature measurements, wash hand basins, hand sanitizers, detergents as well as to ensure the regular wearing of face mask and maintenance of social distancing in the classrooms.
“The schools we have seen so far, a mix of private and public schools, including tertiary institution, we are satisfied that the signals have gone out. Ignatius Ajuru university made an excellent exhibition of compliance, they virtually observed all the protocols including the electronic machine, the wash hand basin.
“We also saw at Jephthah Comprehensive Secondary school which is a private school, that’s like a flagship of the private school we visited. They complied with all the covid-19 protocols including having an Isolation center just in case of an emergency issue or suspected covid and the school have demonstrated compliance in observing the rules of the mask and even social distancing in the classrooms.
“These are replicated in some of the schools we visited but in some, there are question mark, and we have advised the schools concerned to take necessary steps to rectify the observable lapses”.
