>
By Samuel Adegoke
The Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission has hailed the Federal Government for reconsidering its stand on reopening of schools for pupils in terminal classes .
The Federal Ministry of Education on Monday announced that pupils in terminal classes will resume on August 4, with the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) scheduled to commence on August 17.
The announcement was a reversal of Federal Government’s earlier decision against reopening of schools for examinations, including WASSCE. It had maintained that no such examination would hold in Nigeria for now.
Its earlier decision also came two days after the DAWN Commission announced that schools in the six South West states would reopen on August 3 in preparations for the pupils to write their examinations.
DAWN Director General Mr Seye Oyeleye said at the time that the commission would embrace dialogue with the Federal Government and other stakeholders to find the best way forward.
Reacting to the new announcement on Monday, Oyeleye, commended the Federal Government for allowing dialogue with stakeholders to inform government’s position on the logjam. He described the decision as victory for dialogue.
“Federal Government’s reversal and agreeing to reopen on August 4 should be seen as a victory for dialogue which is always the hallmark of a federal system that works.
We have always maintained here in the South West Region that such a sensitive matter was never going to be solved by an executive diktat from the central government but rather once we had conflicting proposals on the way forward, particularly regarding the WAEC exams, it becomes a necessity for the federating states to sit down at the table to dialogue and reason together.
“This new decision taken in collaboration with all the 36 states is a triumph of reason.
We will now implore all the other states to emulate the readiness of the South West states and ensure that safety of the teachers and pupils is not compromised by putting adequate measures in place as they welcome them back,” he said.