News
Re-open schools gradually—CRI
The Executive Director of Child Rights International (CRI), Mr Bright Appiah, has called on the government to hasten slowly in its decision to re-open schools on the mass level.
According to him, the government should adopt a gradual approach where final year students due for exams should first be allowed to resume classes as a test case for broader school re-opening.
Additionally, students who were due for their turn on the double tracking system must also be allowed to resume school since they have a backlog of activities to undertake.
In the meantime, Mr Appiah said all nursery and kindergartens schools should remain closed indefinitely whiles the government focuses on developing more online programmes for parents to take up that role.
“Corporate institutions must make it a deliberate policy for more parents to spent time with their children. More so, the government should engage the work of social workers to periodically do home visits,” he said in a statement issued and copied the Ghanaian Times.
Mr Appiah said, these measures would give the government the enabling environment to have a broader picture of how re-opening school on the mass level would be.
“By so doing, the government would have gotten to know how to handle and assess the impact of re-opening schools on the mass level. This is the only way to halt any decision that might spell doom for the country’s educational sector,” he said
He said the state must bear in mind that any wrong approach could spell doom for children and Ghana’s attempt to contain the coronavirus disease.
He said although CRI was not entirely against the re-opening of schools, it would be needful to undertake the process gradually, beginning with final year students.
Per Mr Appiah’s assertion, it would be beneficial and wise to begin the steps of re-opening school starting with final year students at the Junior and Senior High School level.
“CRI believes that the government should first allow those who are due for examination to go back to school following the protocols of social distancing and any other precautionary measures laid down by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) against the coronavirus,” he said in the statement.
Mr Appiah said there must be a collaboration between GHS and schools in rolling out any measures to re-open schools.
Mr Appiah said as the country’s coronavirus case stood, it would be disadvantageous for nursery, kindergarten, primary and continuing students to be allowed to go back to school, adding that schools must be closed to these categories of students.
Muslims across the country celebrated this year’s Eid-ul-Adha in a colourful and spiritually uplifting atmosphere under the theme, “A Season of Sacrifice, Solidarity and Spiritual Renewal.”
The celebration brought together Muslims from diverse backgrounds in a remarkable display of faith, unity and cultural heritage.
The occasion was marked by special Eid prayers at various designated grounds, the slaughtering of rams in homes for sharing among family members, friends and the less privileged, as well as musical concerts and recreational activities including horse riding.
Leading the celebration was the Chief Imam, Dr Sheikh Osman Sharubutu.
While the national celebration was held at the Black Star Square where President John Dramani Mahama was the Special Guest of Honour, similar gatherings took place at different centres across the capital and other regions of the country.
A visit by The Spectator to some celebration grounds revealed Muslims, both young and old, elegantly dressed in colourful jalabiya and other Islamic attire, reflecting the rich culture and traditions of the Muslim community.
The celebration also portrayed the spirit of religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence in the country, as a number of Christians joined their Muslim counterparts to mark the occasion.
Muslim leaders and government officials used the opportunity to call on the faithful to uphold the teachings of the Holy Quran, renew their spiritual commitment and refrain from acts capable of undermining the peace, unity and security of the nation.
They further urged Ghanaians to continue to live in harmony and support one another for national development.
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
Dear Obaa Yaa,
During Eid-ul- Adha celebration, I decided to spend the weekend at my boyfriend’s place since we were planning towards our marriage.
To my surprise, what keeps me wide awake, restless and frustrated every single time is that he snores loudly like a generator running on full power, and I genuinely cannot get any rest
At a point, I thought it was just a normal thing, but I have realised it is something he does with ease and doesn’t see anything wrong with it.
When he steps out in the morning, I try to get enough sleep because I may not sleep in the evening.
The most annoying thing is that, he always wants to cuddle me. These two things are a no for me and a red flag.
We are about to get married, what should I do?
Enam, Keta.
Dear Enam,
The snoring and constant cuddling are frustrating, but you don’t have to choose between sleep and closeness.
Start with the snoring: check if it’s worse when he sleeps on his back, cut out alcohol before bed, try nasal strips or a humidifier, and see a doctor if he pauses while breathing.
For quick relief, foam earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones help a lot.
Separate blankets, a bigger bed, or sleeping apart on some nights often makes couples rest well and feel closer overall.
Bring this up before the wedding .Tell him you want to wake up next to him for years to come, but sleep deprivation makes you both miserable.
Test earplugs and side-sleeping this weekend, and if it’s still unbearable, bring in a doctor. Good sleep matters more for your marriage than staying glued together all night.
