The Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC) has commended President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for adhering to recommendations by stakeholders, especially the teacher unions and civil society organisations to let final-year students back to school. 

GNECC said it is also grateful that gold track SHS students who missed their learning, are also going to complete that phase of their academic calendar.

However, to ensure no student is left behind, GNECC, in a statement, has recommended that the Ministry of Education put adequate measures in place to cater for the needs of every student in school, including students with special educational needs.

“The coalition is also of the view that schools should be made to maximise the use of available spaces such as school’s assembly halls and laboratories to enable the effective adherence to the social distance safety protocols,” GNECC said.

The coalition further suggested that the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, should assign a nurse to a school to ensure the consistent monitoring of cases in the schools.

GNECC noted that it still stands by its position to ensure proper measures are put in place before the actual re-opening of schools.

Among the measures include the provision of contactless veronica buckets and hand washing stations created in every classroom, the availability of running water in the schools at all times, provision of thermometer guns in all schools and ensure toilet facilities in the schools are disinfected regularly when schools are in session.

The Coalition added that online teaching and learning programmes should also be made available in the schools i.e. e-learning content should be screened in the schools. 

The government announced the reopening of schools for final-year students, as part of its first phase of opening up the country after restrictions were imposed to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Effective Monday, 15 June 2020, schools and universities would be reopened to allow final-year junior high, senior high and university students to resume classes ahead of the conduct of their respective exit examinations.

President Akufo-Addo announced this in a televised address to the nation on Sunday, 31 May 2020.

Final-year university students are to report on 15 June, final-year SHS students together with SHS 2 gold track students on 22 June and final-year JHS students on 29 June.

JHS 3 classes will comprise a maximum of 30 students, SHS classes a maximum of 25 students and university lectures will take place with half the class size.

All others are to remain home for now.