Minister for Education Matthew Opoku Prempeh has announced that day students in boarding schools will be accepted as boarders for the time being.
This is part of measures the government has put in place to ensure final year students at the Senior High School Level complete their WASSCE.
The President on May 31, 2020, in his 10th Covid-19 address, announced the reopening of schools in the country for the final year students at all levels.
He explained this is to allow them to prepare and write their exit examinations.
University final year students will go back to school on June 15, SHS will do same on June 22 and JHS will resume classes on June 29.
Mr Opoku Prempeh speaking at a press conference on June 2, 2020, said day students in schools where there are boarding facilities will be accepted as boarders to ensure they are all confined to one place and do not walk in an out of the school.
“All day students in boarding schools will be accepted as boarders, that is for schools with boarding facilities only, for pure day schools there will be enhanced protocols to take care of the students. We won’t provide buses for them because we have been advised by the health experts that it’s not the best”.
He also took the opportunity to announce that religious activities on campuses has been banned for now.
“When schools do reopen the schools will not be able for religious activities. We don’t want too many interactions that can bring in and take out if it so happens that we can contact trace who may have brought the virus.”
Akufo-Addo speaking on adherence measure of the Covid-19 safety protocols on May 31 said the class size for JHS student should be 30, SHS 25 and Universities will run half the class size.
He also announced that there will be a fumigation exercise at all schools before resumption.
“Prior to the opening of schools and universities, the Ministry of Education, and the heads of public and private educational institutions, will fumigate and disinfect their institutions. Each student, teacher, and non-teaching staff will be provided with re-usable face masks by the Ministry of Education,” said President Akufo-Addo. “For the avoidance of doubt, all other educational facilities, private and public, for non-final year students, will remain closed
He has also called on school authorities to fumigate and disinfect their classrooms before classes begin.
