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COVID-19: Final year JHS students back to school today
Final year Junior High School (JHS) students across the country are expected to return to school today to prepare for their exit examination.
As part of measures to control the spread of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19),following the country recording its first case on March 12, the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo outlined a number of measures which included closing of schools from the university to the basic level.
The closure of schools compelled all school children to stay home for more than 12 weeks.
However, in his 10th televised address on the COVID-19 pandemic, the President announced the resumption of academic work for all final year students at various levels of education.
Beginning June 15 for tertiary students and June 22 for Senior High School, the JHS students would have their turn today, June 29.
The president also indicated that, upon their return, JHS 3 classes would comprise a maximum of 30 students.
In addition, President Akufo-Addo said each student, teacher, and non-teaching staff would be provided with re-usable face masks by the Ministry of Education, he added.
He therefore tasked the Ministry of Information, the National Commission for Civic Education and the media to intensify public education on protocols and directions on the disease.
He also called on all religious, traditional, community and opinion leaders to continue to partner with government in engaging, mobilising and enforcing adherence to social distancing and personal hygiene practices in their respective communities.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Education, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh has explained that all JHS candidates were expected to undergo eleven weeks of revision, followed by their Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in September this year.
Announcing detailed guidelines for the re-opening of schools following the president’s announcement the sector minister, Dr Prempeh said that, it would embark on a massive exercise aimed at getting all final year students to the classroom.
Already, final year tertiary and Senior High School (SHS) students have resumed teaching and learning for the past six weeks and would take their respective examination.
Source: Ghanaian Times
National Democratic Congress (NDC) National Executive Committee member and Volta River Authority (VRA) Board Member, Wonder Victor Kutor, has described calls for the resignation of Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa as premature and unjustified.
He argued that there was no evidence to establish that the minister had committed any wrongdoing to warrant such demands.
Speaking on Joy News in Accra on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, Mr Kutor questioned what had changed to justify the growing calls for the minister to step down.
He recalled that the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor, had earlier indicated that the opposition was not accusing Mr Ablakwa of any wrongdoing.
Mr Kutor, therefore, challenged those demanding the minister’s resignation to provide fresh evidence to support their position.
“The call for the Minister to resign is premature, it is untenable. There is no evidence. I mean, what has he done wrong?” he questioned.
He added that documents, including boarding passes, airline receipts and flight manifests relating to the minister’s return journey, had been provided.
Mr Kutor expressed concern that the calls for Mr Ablakwa’s resignation could discourage young politicians from speaking out against corruption and advocating transparency.
According to him, politicians should not be targeted or maligned for demanding accountability, warning that such treatment could create the impression that speaking against corruption could later become a liability when one is appointed to public office.
He maintained that calling for accountability and transparency should not be used as grounds to target public officials without evidence of wrongdoing.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Ghana will host the Africa Festival of Arts, Culture and Creatives (AFESTAC) 2026 alongside Industrial Skills Week Africa (ISWA) 2026 in Accra from December 9 to 12, 2026.
On the back of these programmes, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has called on corporate Ghana, the media and the general public to support the initiative through partnerships, sponsorships and active participation.
The events, supported by the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), will bring together stakeholders to celebrate Africa’s rich cultural heritage, strengthen the creative economy, promote industrial skills development and create employment opportunities for young people.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
