The Anambra State Government has issued a stern directive mandating all schools in the state — public, private, mission, and returned — to ensure complete resumption of academic activities every Monday, with immediate closure as penalty for any school that fails to comply.

The directive was announced by the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, in a statement released on Thursday in Awka.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Prof. Chuma-Udeh disclosed that a formal circular conveying the order had already been distributed to all school authorities across the state.

“The order, given at the instance of Governor Chukwuma Soludo, applies to all public, private, mission and returned schools across the state,” she stated.

“Any school that fails to resume activities on Mondays will face immediate closure,” the commissioner warned.

The latest move is part of the Soludo administration’s ongoing efforts to completely eliminate the lingering Monday sit-at-home observance, which was originally called by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to protest the continued detention of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

For several years, the sit-at-home order led to the weekly shutdown of schools, markets, businesses, and other public activities on Mondays in many parts of the South-East region, including Anambra.

The state government has progressively worked to restore normalcy, previously reopening markets and enforcing business operations on Mondays. The new directive on schools represents a further step in dismantling the practice and ensuring uninterrupted academic calendars.

Education stakeholders and parents have been urged to support the policy to safeguard the future of children and maintain the academic integrity of institutions in the state.