President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has announced the reopening of schools for only final year students from Monday, June 15.
This is part of a “phased approach” to easing the restrictions imposed across the country in the outbreak of the coronavirus disease.
According to the President, who was addressing the nation on Sunday, May 31 in his 10th update, final year senior high school (SHS) students will report to school on Monday, June 22 while their junior high school (JHS) counterparts will report the following week – Monday, June 29.
Final year university students will be the first to report on Monday, June 15.
This decision was taken after President Akufo-Addo’s extensive engagements with teacher unions.
Government announced the closure of schools on Sunday, March 15, three days after the country recorded its first two index cases of coronavirus.
Since then, the country has recorded 8,070 cases of the virus at the last count on Sunday, May 31 but the president believes the situation is not what was initially predicted to be.
“Our hospitalisation and death rates have been, persistently, very low, some of the lowest in Africa and in the world,” he said.
“The Ghanaian people are not dying of the virus in the hundreds and thousands that were earlier anticipated, and that are being seen on a daily basis in some other countries. Indeed, we are witnessing a much milder manifestation of the virus in the country, than was initially feared. And, I dare say, that it is the grace of God, and the measures taken by Government that have produced this result.”
President Akufo-Addo, therefore, said some of the restrictions imposed on the country – after extensive stakeholder consultations – will be eased from Friday, June 5.
Among these is the re-admission of final year students to school to allow them “to resume classes ahead of the conduct of their respective exit examinations”.
The case of SHS final year students will also see SHS 2 Gold Track students join them.
However, classes of SHSs will be restricted to a maximum of 25 students.
In the case of JHS 3, a maximum of 30 students will be allowed in each class while “university lectures will take place with half the class sizes”.
Final year students of educational and training institutions which are managed by ministries other than the Ministry of Education are also to return on Monday, June 15.
Before all these, there will be a fumigation and disinfection of all the schools while students will be provided with re-usable face masks by the Ministry.
By Emmanuel Kwame Amoh|3news.com|Ghana