Schools must remain closed even if ban on social gatherings is lifted - Unions

The Pre-Tertiary Educational Teacher Unions in Ghana are advocating for schools to remain closed even if the ban on social gathering is lifted.

The unions in a letter addressed to the Director-General of Ghana Education Service, Prof Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa said they [unions] “would not ascribe to the re-opening of the schools, should the President of the Republic decide not to extend the 31st May 2020 deadline and order the re-opening of the schools.”

According to them, “the spread [of the virus in Ghana is still very exponential, given the fact that our [Ghanaian] schools could still be incubation centres of the pandemic, and given the unlimited social interactions and movements which take place there.”

In their view, it would be difficult for the measures put in place to prevent the virus be adhered to in our schools.

“The class sizes and dormitory population are still large, thus not making the observation of social distancing possible.”

They said “considering the age and exuberance of our students one cannot be sure that they [students] will adhere strictly to the COVID-19 protocol hence the fear that the disease may spread in the schools.”