Lagos private schools announce closure over COVID-19

Some private schools in Lagos have taken the initiative to announce closure from Thursday without any prompting from the Ministry of Education

This is coming as the Federal Government announced five new cases of coronavirus, bringing the national total to eight.

Schools still have two weeks to end the current term and this is a period many of them conduct the second term examination.

However, schools are suspending examinations to close immediately.

Some of the high-profile schools that have announced closure include Greensprings School, which has branches in Anthony, Ikoyi and Awoyaya; and Lagos Preparatory and Secondary School, Ikoyi.

While Greensprings is closing March 23, LPSS shut down on Wednesday.

Both schools have opted for e-learning for pupils while they are at home.

Greensprings School’s Head of Admissions, Mrs. Oluranti Bankole said: “Learning will now be done online using the virtual learning platform and video conferencing.  She added that the school had adopted the WHO crisis management grid for COVID-19.

In a notice to parents, LPSS said the closure was a result of the spread of the Coronavirus and the school’s international make up.

“Due to the global spread of the Coronavirus and the international make up of the LPSS family, we have decided to close the school to children today, 18 March, 2020.  Whilst formal lessons have ended for the term, we are unable to predict how these events may affect Trinity (third) term and so, primary and secondary students will come home today with their notebooks.”

Other schools like Berkely and Juilliard Schools and Chessington Montessori School, Agege, announced closures for Wednesday and Friday.

Chessington informed parents that bills and report cards “will be sent electronically”, while Berkley and Juilliard Schools promsed to offer “skeletal services” to stranded parents.

In its COVID-19 awareness document for schools, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) noted that there was no need to close schools as at March 5, 2020 when the document was released.

Head of Public Affairs Unit, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mr. Kayode Abayomi, told The Nation that the government had not announced school closure.