Delta to camp athletes in classrooms, shut schools

The Delta State government has shut down schools in the Asaba metropolis for the 2022 sports festival billed for November 28.

Our correspondent gathered that the decision to shut down the schools may not be unconnected with the inability of the state government to complete the hotels for athletes as scheduled.

Investigation revealed that as of Friday, November 25, the hostel facilities in Issele-Uku and Ogwashi-Uku are yet to be completed, hence the decision to keep the athletes in classrooms.

However, the students were seen on Friday morning roaming the streets of Asaba with their school uniforms as their academic activities have been disrupted.

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Students from Asaba Mixed Secondary school, Westend Secondary school, and Zappa Basic, among others, told our correspondent that they were asked to go home for two weeks in order to their Classrooms for the accommodation of the athletes.

“We came to school this morning, and the schools’ authorities asked us to go home for two weeks.

“They said that our classrooms will be used as hotels during the festival, We just finished our test and were supposed to start our exam in weeks’ time, but unfortunately teaching and can no longer hold,” they said.

Meanwhile, the Chairman, Delta State Sports Commission, Tonobok Okowa, had on Thursday, said the game will hold as scheduled and that reports about the possible postponement should be discarded.

The State Commissioner for Secondary Education, Mrs Rose Ezewu, who confirmed the closures of schools said, “Few public schools in Asaba were closed because they would be used for camping of athletes for the National Sports Festival.