President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has urged heads of basic schools throughout the country to ensure that the COVID-19 safety protocols are religiously adhered to by all students when schools resume next week.

“It is a big task you have, apart from doing the teaching which is your normal activity. Because of the pandemic, you are now going to act as paramedics to make sure that the children are also safe,” he said at a meeting with the heads of basic schools at the Jubilee House in Accra yesterday.

Following the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country on March 12, the government closed down all educational institutions as part of measures to prevent the spread of the pandemic.

Final year students in Junior High School (JHS) will resume academic activities on Monday July 29 to prepare for their Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). University students as well as final year and Gold Track students in Senior High Schools (SHS) have already reopened after three months.

President Akufo-Addo noted that in addition to the 531,000 students who will be going back to school to prepare for their BECE are teachers, invigilators, education supervisors, among others. This, he said, will bring the total population to nearly 900,000.

The President said the government will provide at least three reusable face mask to all the 900,000 people who will resume duty and provide the schools with sanitizers, veronica buckets, and thermometer guns.

According to him, the government aims to prevent an outbreak in the schools and appealed to the heads of the schools to make sure that there are proper social distancing, regular hand washing, and wearing of face masks to make everyone safe.

President Akufo-Addo said class sizes should not be more than 30 students and added that head teachers should ensure that children do not play during break time.

He indicated that students will be in school from 9am to 1pm.

The President of the Conference of Heads of Basic Schools, Mercy Akayila Anuembee, appealed to the government to ensure timely provision of medical supplies to schools in peri-urban and rural areas to ensure that they observe the COVID-19 safety protocols.

She urged the government to motivate teachers to deliver their best and appealed to the President to continue to invest in education to secure the future of the country.

Source: Ghanaian Times