The Ghana government will begin a free school meal scheme for final year students in basic schools as they prepare to sit for their exit exams.
The initiative which is expected to take effect from Monday, August 24 to September 18, 2020, has also been extended to private schools as well.
This comes amid concerns that some final year students go hungry while observing the COVID-19 safety protocols while at school.
Delivering his 15th COVID-19 address Sunday night President Akufo-Addo said the initiative will ensure full observance of the COVID-19 safety protocols.
“As a result of reports I have recently received that some final year JHS students were going hungry, in complying with COVID-19 protocols, I have just instructed the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection to begin preparations to ensure that, as from 24th August up to 18th September, 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, be given one hot meal a day,” President Akufo-Addo announced.
Schools across Ghana were ordered to shut down after a directive from the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on March 15, 2020, as part of measures to stop the further spread of the Coronavirus disease [COVID-19] in the country.
The President, however, reopened schools for only final year students to prepare and enable them to take their final examinations on Sunday, May 31, 2020.
Final year basic school students, however, resumed on Monday, June 29, 2020, while Senior High School students are still writing their exit examinations.
Outlining the government guidelines ahead of reopening, Education Minister, Dr. Opoku Prempeh said students in such schools will spend 11 weeks doing academic work and spend one week for their Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
Source: Daily Mail GH
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