All nursery, kindergarten, primary, Junior High School (JHS) 1 and Senior High School (SHS) 1 students have had the rest of their 2019/2020 academic year postponed till January 2021.
This was announced by President Nana Akufo-Addo on Sunday during his 16th COVID-19 update to Ghanaians.
He said, per consultations with the Ghana Education Service (GES), the resumption of the next academic year in January 2021 will be made “with appropriate adjustments to the curriculum to ensure that nothing is lost from the previous year.”
“The Ghana Education Service, after further consultations, has decided to postpone the remainder of the academic year for all nursery, kindergarten, primary, JHS 1 and SHS 1 students.”, Nana Addo disclosed.
Schools in the country were shut down in March 2020 after Ghana recorded its first two cases of Coronavirus infection.
Final year students were later allowed to return to schools to enable them to sit for their exit exams; the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for JHS students and the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for SHS students.
After five months of closure, however, many have called on the government to reopen the schools to make up for lost academic contact hours.
In furtherance, the President also assured the “relevant dispositions will also be made so that the presence, at the same time, in the school of all streams of students, can occur in safety.”
JHS 2, SHS 2 students report on October 5
Meanwhile, second-year Junior High School and Senior High School students will be returning to school on October 5, 2020.
“With Junior High Schools operating with class sizes of thirty (30), and Senior High Schools with class sizes of twenty-five (25), SHS 2 and JHS 2 students will be in school for ten (10) weeks to study, and write their end of term examinations,” the President added.
Prior to reopening, all schools will be fumigated and disinfected.
All JHS two and SHS two students will be given reusable face masks like was done for the final year JHS and SHS students who reported to school earlier in the year.
JHS two students will also be given one hot meal a day.
“SHS 2 students in boarding houses are to return to their various dormitories on 5th October, whilst day students, respecting fully the COVID-19 protocols, will commute from home to their respective schools on the same date. Prior to reopening, all Junior and Senior High Schools will be fumigated and disinfected. Just as was done in the case of final year university, JHS and SHS students, all JHS 2 and SHS 2 students, as well as all teaching and non-teaching staff, will be given reusable face masks. Each school will be provided with Veronica Buckets, gallons of liquid soap, rolls of tissue paper, thermometer guns, and 200 milli-litre containers of sanitizers. JHS 2 students will be given one hot meal a day,” President Akufo-Addo added.
