Following outcry from parents and stakeholders, the Federal Government Wednesday said it would allow schools to resume by the middle of September.
The Federal Government had earlier announced that schools nationwide would resume on October 13 so as to give ample time for the containment of the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) that has claimed seven lives in the country.
Briefing State house correspondents after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting, Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, said based on advice from experts and the containment measures that had been taken to contain the spread of the disease, the schools would have to resume earlier than announced.
Accordingly, the Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, would hold an emergency meeting with all Commissioners of Education to review its earlier decision on the school calendar to announce a resumption date.
Prof Chukwu who also gave update on the EVD, said the Federal Ministry of Health looking at the quarantine law with a view to presenting an Executive Bill to the National Assembly.
His words, “what is important is that both the Executive and the Legislature are looking on how to bring to current standard our current quarantine laws which is outdated. But we are looking at what it provides even in terms of possible prosecution”
“We also have the psycho-social team, which is part of the management team for this Ebola virus disease. You know sometimes we assume everyone is normal so we are looking at other aspects, were there any problems with this man because at the time he did it Patrick Sawyer was dead so he knew the dangers and so we need to be sure of all these things. So we have not taken a firm decision on that but he is still with us”.