By Abiola Olawale
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has directed all University Vice-Chancellors in the country to resume academic activities in their various institutions on January 18, 2021.
NUC’s Deputy Executive Secretary, Chris Maiyaki gave the directive for the resume of academic activities in line with the directives of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19.
He added that the universities should perform their function in compliance with the protocols laid down by National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
This, according to Mayaki is to ensure that all lives are safeguarded and protected. He also added that copies of the guidelines have been sent to the university authorities across the country.
The Deputy Executive Secretary also warned that the university authorities must follow the standards regarding semester system. He said the authorities must not neglect the semester system approved by the Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards(BMAS) as this will ensure that the quality of education is still preserved despite the pandemic situation.
It would be recalled that the federal universities across the country have been closed since March 23, 2020. The universities were closed following the industrial action by the by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over the issues of their unpaid salaries and allowances.
The strike which started on March 23, 2021 ended on December 23, 2021 at exactly nine months after the government and ASUU reached a compromise on some of the demands put forward by the striking lecturers.
