COVID-19: We'll enforce safety protocols in schools to protect teachers, lecturers

The Minister of Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh has said the government will ensure strict adherence to COVID-19 safety protocols in the various universities as they reopen on Monday.

Final year students of public and private universities are expected to resume school on Monday to complete their academic work.

Many have expressed worry over the partial reopening of schools, despite a spike in Ghana’s COVID-19 cases.

Dr. Prempeh at a meeting with University Vice-Chancellors, however, said adequate measures have been put in place to protect all students, teaching and non-teaching staff.

“We hope that since we are reopening schools, we can enforce social distancing and the thought is that if we open for final years, we have enough time and space for lecturers to be able to do social distancing. The President has ordered the Ministry of Health that before school reopens, every tertiary institution, public and private, must be sprayed.

“This is to ensure that if there are surfaces the virus is on, it is killed before the students come, to protect the lecturers and the students. For schools, there are veronica buckets and sanitizers that are being supplied.”

Schools in the country were ordered to shut down after a directive from the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on March 15, 2020, as part of measures to stop the further spread of the Coronavirus disease [COVID-19] in the country.

The President, however, reopened schools for only final year students to prepare and enable them to take their final examinations on Sunday, May 31, 2020.

The Minister earlier issued some guidelines for the reopening of schools.

Full guidelines for Junior High Schools

Re-opening on Monday, June 29, 2020
Final Year Students (JHS 3) only
Eleven Weeks of Academic work and then one week for BECE
All classes to be split – No more than 30 students in a class
Classes will be from 9 am to 1 pm each day (Reduced School Day)
No breaks outside the classroom
Schools will have enhanced daily health protocols
Schools will be unavailable for religious activities
No sports or sporting events

Guidelines for Senior High Schools

Re-opening on Monday, June 22, 2020
Final year students (SHS 3) and SHS 2 Gold Track only
Six weeks of academic work then five weeks for WASSCE
All classes to be split – No more than 25 students in a class
All day students in Boarding Schools will be in boarding
Day schools will have enhanced daily health protocols
Dining will be in batches in boarding schools
No visitors allowed
Schools are unavailable for religious activities
No sports and sporting events

Guidelines for Tertiary institutions

Re-opening on Monday, June 15, 2020
Final year students only
Six weeks of academic work and four weeks for exams
Split all classes
Private tertiary institutions are to provide to NCTE
Number of Staff
Number of Final Year Students
All Non-MoE educational institutions are also expected to re-open on Monday, June 15, 2020
Foreign Students who are outside the country and are identified will be allowed to return granted their country will allow them to exit.

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