REPORT FROM NAPPS OYO STATE ON COVID19 PANDEMIC.
All Schools in Oyo State were closed on 20/3/2020 due to COVID 19 pandemic by the State Government.
Following the announcement,
we did a release circulated online to all our members to comply with the Government directive. Hence no case of forceful closure of schools or withdraw of provisional approval, due to disobedience to Government directive was recorded in our State to date.
To cope with the challenges of sudden closure, we encouraged our members at the LG level to organize palliatives for each other and our vulnerable teachers, contrary to much pressure to donate to the Government in fighting the pandemic.
Those with financial challenges were encouraged to seek for Cooperative loans from various level of NAPPS Cooperative in our State.
In terms of capacity building, we collaborated with a sister training outfit; in the training of our members on online teaching apps to engage in online teaching. However, online teaching did not bring in much-expected income, due to the fact that the Government said we can't go ahead with the 3rd term and many of the parents were not also prepare to pay for the services.
The Proprietors online training also prepared our members for the post-Covid 19 new normal in Schools.
Besides this, all Information and Program from the National platform and safety measures to be put in place were widely circulated to all our members.
We are also collaborating and negotiating with makers and Suppliers of Safety equipments such as handwashing equipment, face mask, and an infrared thermometer at a heavily discounted price for our members.
Moreover, NAPPS, Oyo State leadership engaged seriously in issuing press releases, grant media interviews to newspapers, privately and State-owned Radio and Television Stations to advocate for palliatives in different forms from our State Government and change the negative public narrative against School Proprietors. Through this sustained media pressure, in addition to various meetings with the with our State Commissioner of Education, Speaker of the State House of Assembly and any correspondence to the Governor, the Government of Oyo State has announced the opening of our Schools from 29/6/2020 to the terminal classes and others classes to follow suit by 15th July.
As a follow-up on this, we have been invited for a meeting on modalities and training on safe Schools reopening by tomorrow 19/6/2020.
By this, Oyo State is the first state, with substantial infection rate to announce and be preparing for the reopening of Schools.
We wish to thank the Almighty God for crowning our efforts with some successes and appreciate the National leadership of our Noble Association for providing the needed oversight and encouragement for the progress so far recorded.
Long live NAPPS!
Pst.Kayode Adeyemi, Chairman NAPPS,Oyo State.
