Dr. Opoku Prempeh – Schools will reopen after expert advice from health professionals

The Minister for Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, in response to when schools will reopen has said the reopening date of educational institutions will be based on the expert advice of health professionals treating the coronavirus pandemic.

The Minister said this will ensure “a a safe back-to-school process”.

“I can assure you that the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the universities are in close and regular contact with the Ghana Health Service and the Ministry of Health,” The Minister for Education said in a letter to students in the country.

Closure

In the letter, the Minister said ” over the past five weeks your academic work has been disrupted amid the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in our country. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo took the bold and necessary decision to shut down our educational institutions to protect you and the nation from this deadly virus which has claimed many lives worldwide”.

“I am concerned about your continuous learning, particularly as we near the end of the academic year. I can imagine the uncertainties about reopening dates and examination timetables weighing on your mind and perhaps affecting your preparations, especially for those of you in your final year,” it said.

Learning platforms

In the meantime, the letter said, the Ministry of Education and the GES had created various platforms for pre-tertiary education on television and online to enable students to continue with structured and self-guided learning activities. “For TV, we are currently broadcasting content for senior high school (SHS) core subjects on the Ghana Learning TV. It is available on free-to-air TV, as well as on DStv channel 315, GOtv channel 150, and StarTimes channel 312. Very soon, we will be broadcasting content for kindergarten (KG) to junior high school (JHS) as well.

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“Additionally, we are producing learning content for radio to be broadcast across the country. For online, we have resources available for SHS students on iCampus Ghana which can be accessed via www.icampus. Pretty soon content for KG to JHS pupils and students will also be made available on this platform,” it said.

For tertiary students, the letter said various universities were deploying learning systems to help students continue their education remotely, adding that the ministry was aware of the challenges students were facing with the cost of data and had agreed with telecommunications networks (Vodafone and MTN) to zero-rate educational content online on platforms.

Stay home stay safe

Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh encouraged students to stay at home and adhere to all precautionary measures recommended by the Health authorities, He also encourage them to draw up personal daily timetables to engage in learning through the platforms provided.

“Pick up new healthy hobbies, read widely (free e-books available on the Ghana Library Authority app) and exchange learning ideas with your peers,” the letter added.

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