The Delta State government has directed all public and private primary and secondary schools in the State to resume on Monday, September 9, 2024, for the commencement of the 2024/2025 first-term academic activities except in Oshimili South Local Government Area, where the resumption date has been shifted to Monday, September 23, 2024.

This was contained in a statement issued on Sunday by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Augustine Oghoro, on behalf of the State Commissioner for Primary Education, Kingsley Ashibogwu and his counterpart in charge of Secondary Education, Rose Ezewu.

The statement directed boarders to resume on Sunday, September 8.

According to the statement, the extension of the resumption date for all private and public primary and secondary schools in Asaba and its environs was “as a result of the 8th edition of the National Youth Game scheduled to be held in Asaba from Monday, September 9 to Thursday, September 19, 2024”.

The statement noted that “some schools in Asaba, including West End Mixed Secondary School, Government Model Secondary School, Junior Staff Primary School, Unity Secondary School in the Capital Territory and Osadenis Secondary School have been designated for use as hostels and venues for the games”.

It explained that “classes would begin on Monday, September 9, 2024, after the cleaning of the classes and the school premises by the learners under the supervision of their teachers for schools in other parts of the state with the exception of schools in Asaba that would resume on Monday, September 23”.

It also urged school heads and teachers in the state to comply with the directive and ensure that they were in their duty posts to discharge their statutory responsibility.

The statement also advised parents and guardians to get their children and wards prepared for school resumption, saying that “the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education would conduct resumption tests for the learners in public primary and secondary schools on Thursday, September 12, 2024, and their marks would form part of their assessment test”.

The statement warned that the ministry would not condone any act by the teachers contrary to the directive, stressing that the two Commissioners and the Permanent Secretary would lead the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education staff to monitor the level of compliance across the state.