Reopening of schools must not go beyond July and September

The Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS) is calling for the reopening of schools in July for final year students and September for all students.

According to President of the Association, Damasus Tuurosung, the Covid-19 pandemic has no plan of leaving; therefore schools must find ways of operating while the pandemic hovers around.

Mr. Tsuurosong who disclosed that plans are underway for private schools to resume said “the argument is simple; this pandemic is going to be around for a long time and the children cannot continue to be at home.

“There’s also a study we did which is showing that in many cases the children may be more at risk at home than in school,” he said on JoyPrime’s Prime Morning Show.

The President in his first address announced the closure of all schools in the country as part of measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

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The President in a televised address to the nation also placed a ban on public gathering while calling for social distancing. Two months after this directive, talks of when schools will reopen has begun on social media as many argue that living with coronavirus is the ‘new normal’.

Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Information Minister insists the government has not taken a decision on when schools will reopen. According to the Information Minister, stakeholder consultations are still ongoing to ensure that the easing of the various restrictions put in place by President Akufo-Addo will not lead to further spread of the virus.

As the discussion continues, more and more individuals are joining calls against the opening of schools.
However, the GNAPS President is against this stance.

“At the level of private schools, we have already taken various measures to ensure that schools reopen appropriately. We have had discussions and come out with a blueprint for the reopening of schools

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“We believe that reopening of schools should not go beyond July for final year students and possibly September for the rest of the students,”
Mr. Tsuurosong added that children, while at home, are at a higher risk of contracting the coronavirus because parents are more likely to compromise on the safety of their wards when they [the parents] leave for work whereas, at school, there will be strict monitoring and enforcement of safety measures.

“They leave the kids at home and go to work, God knows what they come into contact with. But at school, the children will be made to comply with all the safety measures; washing of hands, sanitizing themselves, ensuring social distancing because, on many instances, parents are unable to even enforce these regulations. They are unable to ensure that the kids stay safe at home,” he said.

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