President Akufo-Addo has instructed the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection to begin preparations of one hot meal for all five hundred and eighty-four thousand (584,000) final year JHS students,and one hundred and forty-six thousand (146,000) staff, both in public and private schools from 24th August to 18th September, 2020.
According to President Akufo-Addo, the gesture will ensure a full observance of the COVID-19 safety protocols.
Speaking at the 15th address to the nation on measures put in place to reduce the spread of covid-19, President Akufo-Addo said "Our phased approach towards returning our lives to normal, through the strategic, controlled, progressive, and safe easing of restrictions, will, thus, continue. Most final year university students have already completed their examinations, and, by 18th September, SHS 3 and JHS 3 students would have finished their respective final examinations of WASSCE and BECE"
He added he has recently received some complains stressing that some final year JHS students were going hungry, in complying with COVID-19 protocols hence the directive.
President Akufo-Addo also mentioned, through online learning portals, almost all continuing students in our Universities have completed their studies for the academic year.
"The exceptions are the University of Cape Coast, the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Technical Universities, and some other Colleges.After extensive stakeholder consultations, the decision has been taken for continuing students in these tertiary institutions to return to school,on 24th August,to finish their academic year"
He however hinted that just as was done for final year students who returned to school, Government, through the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service, will ensure that all these tertiary institutions are disinfected.
President Akufo-Addo said "Universities will be equipped with the necessary personal protective equipment, and those with their own hospitals and clinics will have isolation centres to deal with any positive cases. All other institutions, without their own clinics and hospitals, will be mapped to health facilities"
The President noted there will be no mass gatherings and no sporting activities.
"The Ministry of Education continues to engage the Ghana Education Service (GES) and all relevant stakeholders to conclude discussions on the modalities surrounding the reopening of our pre-tertiary schools. I will communicate, in due course, the decisions that will be reached from these consultations. You can be rest assured that I will always take into prime consideration the safety and well-being of our children, teachers and non-teaching staff in the decisions that will be taken, because I am determined to ensure that the education of our children is not unduly disturbed by this pandemic" he said.
Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith
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