President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo Sunday said final year students and staff will receive one hot meal from 24th August to 18th September, 2020.
All 584,000 final year Junior High School (JHS) students, and 146,000 staff in both in public and private schools, would be given one hot meal a day, as part of efforts to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As a result of reports I have recently received that some final year JHS students were going hungry, in complying with COVID-19 protocols, I have just instructed the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection to begin preparations to ensure that, as from 24th August up to 18th September, all 584,000 final year JHS students, and one hundred and 146,000 staff, both in public and private schools, be given one hot meal a day,” the President disclosed in his 15th broadcast to the nation on Ghana’s enhanced response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said the nation’s phased approach towards returning lives to normal, through the strategic, controlled, progressive, and safe easing of restrictions, would, thus, continue.
He noted that most final year university students had already completed their examinations, and, by 18th September, senior high school (SHS 3) and JHS 3 students would have finished their respective West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
The President said through online learning portals, almost all continuing students in the nation’s universities had completed their studies for the academic year; stating that, “The exceptions are the University of Cape Coast, the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Technical Universities, and some other Colleges.”
He said after extensive stakeholder consultations, the decision had been taken for continuing students in these tertiary institutions to return to school, on 24th August, to finish their academic year.
President Akufo-Addo said just as was done for final year students who returned to school, Government, through the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service, would ensure that all these tertiary institutions were disinfected.
He said universities would be equipped with the necessary personal protective equipment, and those with their own hospitals and clinics would have isolation centres to deal with any positive case.
“All other institutions, without their own clinics and hospitals, will be mapped to health facilities,” President Akufo-Addo said.
“There will be no mass gatherings and no sporting activities. Religious activities, under the new protocols, will be permitted. Social distancing and the wearing of face masks must become the norm on campus.”
He intimated that the Ministry of Education continues to engage the Ghana Education Service (GES) and all relevant stakeholders to conclude discussions on the modalities for the reopening of the nation’s pre-tertiary schools.
“I will communicate, in due course, the decisions that will be reached from these consultations,” he said.
“You can be rest assured that I will always take into prime consideration the safety and wellbeing of our children, teachers and non-teaching staff in the decisions that will be taken, because I am determined to ensure that the education of our children is not unduly disturbed by this pandemic.”
SOURCE: GNA
