Minister of Education Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh says final year students who will soon be going to school for their final year exams will not be allowed to receive visitors while on campus. This directive is applicable to Senior High Schools.
Speaking at a Ministry of Information Press briefing on Tuesday, the minister said these measures have been instituted to safeguard the lives of these students from the novel virus.
According to him, keeping external visitors out of the school premises will also fast track contact tracing processes should there be an outbreak.
Read this: Covid 19: President Akufo Addo eases restrictions
“we do not want too many interactions so that we can trace who might have come to the school with virus. So we want to keep it that only student and their lecturers are in school. When the junior and senior schools reopen, there will be no visitors allowed during the period that they are in school. Parents can no longer go and visit their kids for that period”, he said
He added that apart from the schools adhering to the strict hygienic protocols, sporting activities, religious activities and any form of mass gatherings will be prohibited.
Junior High School classes are to be split with not more than 30 students in a class as a reduced school day; classes will be organized from 9 am to 1 pm each day. There will be no breaks outside the classroom.
At the Senior High School level, classes are to be split with not more than 25 students in a class. Day students in boarding schools will now be accommodated into the boarding house with dining expected to be in batches in boarding schools.
President Akufo Addo in his 10th televised address to the nation eased some of the restrictions imposed on the country in the bid to contain the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic. Schools are now allowed to reopen for only final year students in the Junior High Schools, Senior high schools and Universities.
University final year students will be going back to school on 15th June 2020 while final year Senior High School students are expected to resume on 22nd June 2020.
Junior High School students who are preparing for their final examinations will also go back to school on Monday, June 29, 2020. However, all other educational institutions other than the final years will remain closed.
Source: Kojo Dei/ATLFMNEWS
