The Ghana Education Service (GES) has assured that second-year (Form 2) students in Junior High and Senior High Schools will be safe when they return to school on Monday, October 5, 2020 to enable them to complete their respective third term and second semester of the current academic year.
The GES in a press release said Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) have been distributed to all schools which have also been fumigated and disinfected against COVID-19.
“Management of Ghana Education Service (GES) wishes to remind all students, parents, teachers and the general public that Form 2 students in Junior High and Senior High Schools will be returning to school on Monday 5th October 2020. This is to enable them to complete the 3rd term and 2nd semester respectively of the current academic year,” the release said.
“Management wishes to assure students, parents, teachers and the general public that all the necessary measures have been put in place to ensure their safety while in school”.
According to the statement signed by Madam Cassandra Twum Ampofo, Head of Public Relations Unit at the GES and copied to Spice News, all schools have been fumigated and disinfected while Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) have been distributed to all schools.
It will be recalled that all universities, senior high schools and basic schools, both private and public were closed down in March following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in the country.
Meanwhile, the JHS and SHS final-year students were exempted from the directive and made to remain in school while adhering to prescribed social distancing protocols in preparation towards their examinations in May and June 2020, respectively.
President Akufo-Addo on August 30, in his 16th address to the nation on measures taken to control the spread of the coronavirus pandemic announced that JHS and SHS in their second year (Form 2) were to resume on October 5, 2020 to complete the 2019/20 academic year.
The President directed that JHSs would operate with a class size of 30 while SHSs would operate with a class size of 25 and would be in school for 10 weeks to study and write their end of term examinations.
President Akufo-Addo further pointed out that all schools would be fumigated and disinfected ahead of the reopening whereas all JHS two students will be given one hot meal a day.
He said as part of measures to control the spread of the coronavirus, all the students would be given reusable face masks like in the case of the final year JHS and SHS students who reported to school earlier in the year.
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”.
Story: Seth Ameyaw Danquah
