The Lagos State Government has ordered the closure of public and private schools in the state indefinitely.
This was announced in a press statement by the state’s Head of Public Affairs, Ministry of Education, Kayode Abayomi, on Monday.
In the statement titled, ‘Lagos directs students to stay at home’, it quoted the Commissioner for Education, Mrs Folasade Adefisayo, as saying that the schools were shut down over “tension generated by the anti-SARS protests.”
The statement read in part, “The Lagos State Government has directed all pupils/students in public and private schools to stay at home following the tension generated by the anti-SARS protests.
“A new date of resumption for all classes will be announced as soon as possible.”
Adefisay added that “the safety of the pupils/students, parents and all staff working in schools is paramount at this critical period”.
She however advised parents to “keep an eye on their wards and not allow them to be used as willing tools in the hands of those who might want to hijack the protests to unleash mayhem on the society”.
The Commissioner also encouraged schools to “utilise other means of distance teaching and learning i.e radio, television and online media as they have been doing during and post the recent COVID-19 lockdown”.
It was gathered that a lot of students and teachers encountered difficulty in getting to schools in the state on Monday as a result of the protests in various parts of the state.
Thelagostimes reports that the protesters blocked all entrances into Alausa secretariat, preventing worker’s from going in.
There was also violence in the Yaba area of the state when some hoodlums attacked operatives of the Rapid Response Squad.