The Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Professor Kwasi Opoku Amankwa, has asked the public to disregard news making round that some senior high schools in the country have recorded cases of COVID-19.
According to him, the news being circulated and purported to be coming from the schools were not only fake, but also intended to cause unnecessary fear and panic among the public.
“No one has contracted anyone to conduct any test for the students and no student returned to the school with a test result showing he or she had been tested for COVID-19.
“Similarly, the students returned just two days ago, and some are yet to return. So when was the test conducted and by whom?” he queried.
Speaking to the Ghanaian Times on the telephone in Accra yesterday, he said the circulation of the fake news formed part of the propaganda agenda meant to derail the effort of government.
The media, both social and traditional, for the past two days have been washed with news that some schools had recorded positive cases of COVID-19, even though government has not instituted mass testing yet.
For example, it was reported that 50 students from Mawuko Girls’ Senior High School in the Volta Region had tested positive. Also, 13 girls, 20 boys, and three boys from Mfantsiman Girls’ Senior High School, Opoku Ware Senior High School and Adisadel College respectively had all tested positive to COVID-19.
However, the Director-General said he was surprised at the turn of events since no testing had been done for any student.
He, therefore, called on the media to disregard such stories and support the government in fighting the pandemic.
Prof Amankwa said enough measures had been put in place to safeguard the well-being of the students and the government would further continue to promote the safety of all students in the country.
By Cliff Ekuful
