The Minister of Education, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, says the reopening date of educational institutions will depend on the expert advice of health professionals managing the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
That, he said, was to ensure that “we have 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,” Dr Prempeh said in a widely publicised letter to students in the country.
Letter
The letter, published in the Thursday, April 30, 2020 edition of the Daily Graphic, is the second to be issued by the minister in a week. The first letter, also published in the April 27, 2020 edition of the Daily Graphic, was addressed to parents.
Schools in Ghana have been closed since Monday, March 16 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Closure
Over the past five weeks, the letter said “your academic work has been disrupted because of the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in our country. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo took the bold and necessary decision to close down our educational institutions to protect you and the nation from this deadly disease which has claimed many lives across the world”.
“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.
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.
“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. In the near future, 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
“For the time being, I encourage you to stay at home and adhere to all safety regulations during these difficult times. I also encourage you to draw up personal daily timetables to engage in learning through the platforms we have 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.
Source: Daily Graphic
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All what the minister said is indeed helpful to us but I think if they can arrange for those in their final years like those in the tertiary, SHS3 and JHS3 go back to campus to prepare for their final exams. Because when it happens like this they will have enough facilities for learning. This may also pave way to admit new students into the educational sector in the next academic year. Because, if care is not taken our education sector will be chocked. Thank you
who are the experts? parents go to town everyday. these kids at home are seen roaming around the entire community and you are telling us an expert to come and tell them to go back to the class room? who are those experts?
So you expect the government to build how many secondary schools within these few weeks, fix all infrastructure and any other thing within probably four weeks. It is amazing this think is not killing these NDC F001S. And how many schools have reopened around the world? Most of these countries you are referring to already had all these infrastructure before the covid virus. And remember since Independence, Ghana has not been governed by only the NPP and these poor infrastructure confronting the schools in Ghana have been existing for ages. Please do not think about the power change because for now most of we the citizens care less about any party let alone the NDC. You people are praying for a surge in infections but God is supreme. You did everything for the lockdown to be lifted and now you are on schools. May God deal with you.
"Waiting for health professional advice before our children goes back to lecture hall and class rooms?? The Education Minister, Mr. Matthew Prempeh is behaving as if he is not a ghanaian and not living with the COVID 19 reality in Ghana. The advice from the health professionals managing the Coronavirus had been preaching to ghanaians since the outbreak of the COVID 19 pandemic in Ghana. 1. Social distance 2. Lockdown of varios instituitions 3. Washing of hands and wearing of gloves 4. Spraying of various schools. All these are well known to ghanaians and we have been practicing these advice since the outbreak of COVID 19. So what advice are you waiting for before you let our children goes back to school.?? As ghanaians are waiting anxiously for the government to fix a date for reopen of schools, ghanaians are requesting from the education minister, his concrete and practical measures to deal with the COVID 19 as schools are yet to resume. The difficulties are obvious in our various educational instituitions. Such as classrooms and lecture halls are overcrowded, inadequate dormetories for the secondary schools, lack of water and toilet facilities for the schools and most importantly the kitchen and eating halls of the students. So as you are waiting for the advice of the health professionals, tell ghanaians, how the students will practice social distance, keep to hygiene of washing of hands, the wearing of face masking and wearing of gloves, sitting arrangments at the lecture halls and classrooms. And how the students will have portable clean water and toilet facilities amidst the pandemic of the Virus. Mr. Education Minister, the COVID 19 has come and will stay for years not only in Ghana but the global world. All our hope is the Vacination or medicine soon to be released by global health researchers. Maybe your expectation from the health professionals is to extend the lock down for the schools and this is impossible.Other nations have worked out a model and stratagies for thier children to go back to school amidst COVID 19. Ghana can learn from such countries. Simple put: Our children wants to go back to school. Thank You
Education Minister, Mr Matthew Opoku Prempeh. Why are you waiting for the advice of the health professionals managing the Coronavirus before you reopen schools.Why?? Eventually schools in Ghana will be reopend depending upong the advice of health professionals but where are your pragmatic measures for the schools as the COVID 19 is and will be with us for some years. I suppose this idea of "Mbo nto ho" Lets "wait and see" attitude is a dormant spirit of scientific thinking. Ghana can learn from other countries around the globe and how they are dealing with the virus and reopening of schools for their children. Schools in Ghana have beed sprayed and disinfectisied to keep the schools clean. Is that enough? Ghanas schools are crowded with class room lectures, dormitories are crowded. So how will you deal with the issue of social distance? How will you deal with the issue of washing of hands, wearing of mask etc. This is the expectation of Ghanaians from the Education Minister as they are anxiously waiting for the government to tell Ghanaians to go back to classroom and lecture halls. Haelth professionals will give you advice but its practical implementation to help the schools, is the responsibility of the Education Minister. Hence your own plans for the students before the advice of the health professionals and Our children are waiting for your pragmatic measures as the COVID 19 has come to stay in Ghana. And even if the government announces the reopening of schools in Ghana and the Education Minister has no concrete plans to help the students and pupils to protect themselves from the virus, classrooms and lecture rooms will be nothing but ghost of teachers lectures, students and pupils