Second year students in both Junior and Senior High School finally return to school today, after nearly seven months of staying at home, following the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic in the country.
The initial uncertainties which characterised the reopening of school seems to have died down following the successful completion of final year students at both levels.
Unlike the initial announcement of reopening school for finally year students which generated lots of controversies, the reopening for the second years seem to have received general acceptance among the citizenry.
Schools across the country were down in March, as part of measures instituted by the government to contain the spread of the global pandemic.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in his 16th address to the nation announced the re-opening of schools for second year Junior High School and Senior High School students to complete their academic year, as part of phase-out easing of the restrictions to return the country to normalcy.
In a telephone conversation with Ghanaian Times, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Ms Cassandra Twum-Ampofo, all form two students of Junior and Senior High schools were to return to school today to enable them complete the third term and second semester respectively of the current academic year.
She said, “Management wishes to assure students, parents, teachers, and the general public that the necessary measures have been put in place to ensure their safety while in school.”
Mrs Twum-Ampofo explained that all schools had been fumigated and disinfected and that Personal Protective Equipment had also been distributed to all the schools.
She said apart from fumigating the schools and providing them with the necessary PPEs, all the other protocols and measures have been put in place to ensure the safety of both students and staff.
She, therefore, urged all school authorities, staff, and students to acknowledge that COVID-19 was still around and should, therefore, strictly observe all the guidelines issued to the schools.
Ms Twum-Ampofo urged parents, guardians, and the general public to continue to support, cooperate, and collaborate with the educational authorities to ensure a successful academic work in all the schools.
Meanwhile, some students and parents have expressed high level of satisfaction with the arrangements put in place by the government to ensure that schools reopen for teaching and learning to commence.
A parent who gave her name as Cynthia Mintah said she was happy her wards both in SHS two were finally going back to school.
She noted that the continuous stay at home of students was a source of concern for most parents, including her and was happy that finally government was easing the restrictions for students to go back to school.
Master Samuel Acheampong, a second year student of Accra Academy said he was happy to return to school, stressing that, “Please I have been worried and wondering when we were going to go back to school but thankfully the President has done what is in our interest, so I am more than grateful to him.”
BY CLIFF EKUFUL
