President Akufo-Addo says second year students in Senior High School (SHS) and Junior High School (JHS) will both resume academic work on the 5th of October 2020, to complete their academic calendar which was put on hold due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in Ghana.
President Akufo-Addo made the announcement in his 16th address to the nation since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Ghana, today the 30th of August 2020.
“The decision has been taken by the Ghana Education Service after consultation with the relevant stakeholders, for SHS 2 and JHS 2 students to return to school from 5 October to 14th December 2020 to complete their academic year,” President Akufo-Addo said.
“With Junior High Schools operating with class sizes of thirty (30), and Senior High Schools with class sizes of twenty-five (25), SHS 2 and JHS 2 students will be in school for ten (10) weeks to study, and write their end of term examinations. SHS 2 students in boarding houses are to return to their various dormitories on 5 October, whilst day students, respecting fully the COVID-19 protocols, will commute from home to their respective schools on the same date. Prior to reopening, all Junior and Senior High Schools will be fumigated and disinfected,” the President further stated.
Provision of PPE to Schools
The President further indicated, “Just as was done in the case of final year university, JHS and SHS students, all JHS 2 and SHS 2 students, as well as all teaching and non-teaching staff, will be given reusable face masks.”
“Each school will be provided with Veronica buckets, gallons of liquid soap, rolls or tissue paper, thermometer guns, and 200 mils containers of sanitizers. JHS 2 students will be given one hot meal a day. Assemblies and sporting events remain banned; and the use by outsiders or school premises for other activities is still not allowed. We will continue to ensure that each school, which does not have its own sickbay, has been mapped to a health facility, and care is provided to the sick by nurses assigned to them,” the President said.
Remaining Academic Year
According to President Akufo-Addo, the Ghana Education Service, after further consultations, has decided to postpone the remainder of the academic year for all nursery, kindergarten, primary, JHS 1, and SHS 1 students.
“The next academic year will resume in January 2021, with appropriate adjustments made to the curriculum, to ensure that nothing is lost from the previous year. The relevant dispositions will also be made so that the presence, at the same time, in the school of all streams of students, can occur in safety,” the President noted.
Contact Sports
On the issue of contact sporting activities such as football, the President said in the next couple of weeks, a decision will be taken on the timelines for its resumption taking into consideration the imminent participation of some national teams in international competitions.
“As a known lover of football, I know how devastating its absence has been, and it is my hope that very soon we will all have the pleasure of playing and watching the beautiful game again,” the President said.
Source: Daily Mail GH
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