President Akufo-Addo
Managements of basic schools in the country have been assured by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo that the spikes in Covid-19 cases that were recorded after some schools reopened in other countries will be avoided in the country, saying the government will ensure strict adherence to the various safety protocols put in place.
“Some societies, unfortunately when they opened their schools, saw a spike in the number of cases again. We want, as much as possible, to avoid that in Ghana so that our children will go back to school in safety,” the President said yesterday when he met the leadership of the Conference of Heads of Basic Schools at the Jubilee House in Accra.
In his 10th address to the nation on measures taken against the spread of the coronavirus, the President directed that final year university students were to report to their school on June 15; final year senior high school (SHS 3) students, together with SHS 2 Gold Track students, on June 22; and final year junior high school (JHS 3) students, on June 29.
Additional roles
The President charged the heads of the basic schools to ensure that the hygiene and distancing protocols are adhered to religiously by the students and the staff as well.
“It’s a big task you have, apart from doing the teaching which is your normal activity. Because of the pandemic, you now have to act as paramedics, doctors, to make sure that the children are also safe,” he told the school heads.
President Akufo-Addo added that on the side of government, it is doing its best to address some of the concerns that have been raised by the heads of basic schools, including improvement of facilities.
“We have spent the last 18 months negotiating a large sum of money, some US$219 million, which is going to be invested in the country’s basic schools to improve facilities,” President Akufo-Addo said, adding that some 10,000 schools will be the beneficiaries of the project.
According to him, part of the money will be used in training as many as 77,000 teachers in the new curriculum that has been designed.
The President further said that, in all, some two to three million children in the basic schools will feel the impact of the investment.
Professional fees
He said, for the first time in Ghana’s history, government is paying professional allowance to professional teachers.
“We are trying to get ourselves into a situation whereby salaries are paid and then also promotions in the educational system are effected immediately,” he added.
President Akufo-Addo said the training of teachers, among other things, is part of the measures to enhance teaching and learning in schools in the country.
“We are doing all these things because I am firmly of the view that when we make investment in education, it benefits the people of Ghana,” he said.
Source: Daily Statesman
