Kwara State Government on Monday distributed 65,000 face masks across schools ahead of Wednesday’s resumption of students preparing for the secondary school certificate examinations.

The face masks are to be distributed to senior secondary class three students as part of the government’s efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the state.

“On behalf of the Kwara State Government and His Excellency AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq I present these face masks to the Honourable Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development (Hajia Bisola Ahmed) for onward distribution to our SS3 students as they prepare to resume academic activities. This is just the beginning as they will get more and more of our support,” Deputy Governor Kayode Alabi who is also chairman of the Kwara State Technical Committee on COVID-19 told reporters in Ilorin, the state capital.

“This is the first phase as we are also giving out sanitisers while the ministry of education, working with the committee and stakeholders in the sector, has been mandated to ensure that safety rules are adhered to.”

Ahmed, on her part, said the government is making effort to adhere strictly to the preventive measures as directed by the Federal Ministry of Education for the safety of students.

“Our SS3 students will resume this week, precisely on Wednesday. We have 65,000 face masks here which will be distributed to schools across the three senatorial districts of the state. The face masks are now being distributed through the All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS). This is the first phase of what will be provided to schools,” she said.

“We have spoken with the principals of the schools and they are ready to support the state government and we assure you that all the preventive measures as directed by the Federal Ministry of Education will be provided as the schools resume.”