FG shuts down unity schools for presidential elections

Adamu Adamu, minister of education, says unity schools across the country will embark on a mid-term break between February 15 and 19.

According to the minister, the directive is to ensure that parents have time to vote at the presidential polls scheduled to hold on February 16.

“Our students in unity schools are not of voting age but we adjusted the mid-term break to make it fall within the elections period,” he said at the ministerial news briefing in Abuja on Friday.

“The date for the mid-term break will be from Friday, February 15 to Tuesday, February 19. This is for only unity schools in the country. We are not shutting down other schools.

“The essence of this break is to enable parents have maximum time to go and cast their votes and have the freedom to bring their children and wards back to school.

“Even if the child is not of voting age, the parent is of voting age. The break is only for presidential elections. There is no break for governorship elections.”

Speaking on the suspended strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the minister said the struggle was for the “development of the country’s educational system”.

“In spite of my anger and anxiety with ASUU, I must also commend their patriotism and public spiritedness because the last few weeks were about the struggle for the education system and not their allowances.”

The minister expressed optimism that the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP) would also suspend its two months strike before Monday.