THE Nigerian Academy of Education (NAE) has called on the government at all levels to release funds directly to the schools in order to enable them to prepare for and sustain the care of the students who are preparing for exit examinations in the COVID-19 era.

Following the appeal which was made in Abuja yesterday via a statement jointly signed by its President, Elizabeth Eke and Publicity Secretary, Owoicho Akpa, respectively, and made available to journalists, the NAE is also calling for public-private arrangements to help with direct donations to schools, as supplementary school feeding needs during examinations time.

 Since COVID-19 has ushered in a new lifestyle, the NEA urged everyone to mentally adapt to the situation to enable both private and public schools, their proprietors, and stakeholders go about their business effectively.

The statement which explained that parents have the final responsibility to decide whether their children will return to school or not with the examinations timetable being a major influence also encouraged parents not to be discouraged from permitting their children back to school due to lack.

The school authorities and management were however not left out from the piece of advice as the NAE urged these bodies to ensure that the COVID-19 guidelines such as the orientation for teachers and students, tests for students and teachers, etc are followed.