2019-20 academic year postponed to 2021

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has postponed the remainder of the 2019-20 academic year to January 2021, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said.

According to him, the GES arrived at this decision after broad consultation with all stakeholders involved in the education section.

"The Ghana Education Service after further consultations has decided to postpone the remainder of the academic year for all nursery, kindergarten, primary, JHS1 and SHS1 students. The next academic year will resume in January 2021 with the appropriate adjustments made to the curriculum to ensure that nothing is lost from the previous year," the President said during his 16th address to the nation.

He continued: "The relevant dispositions will also be made so that the presence, at the same time, in schools of all streams of students, can occur in safety."

The 2019-20 academic year was brought to a halt in March after Ghana recorded its first two cases of the novel Coronavirus.

This was after consultations with stakeholders involved in the education sector.

Meanwhile, Form Two Senior High School (SHS) and Junior High School (JHS) students are to return to school from October 5 to December 14, 2020, to complete their academic year.

Akufo-Addo further stated: "Junior High Schools operating with class sizes of 30, and Senior High Schools with class sizes of 25, SHS 2 and JHS 2 students will be in school for 10 weeks to study, and write their end of term examinations.

"SHS 2 students in boarding houses are to return to their various dormitories on 5th October, whilst day students, respecting fully the COVID-19 protocols, will commute from home to their respective schools on the same date," he added.

The President disclosed that all Junior and Senior High Schools will be fumigated and disinfected.

"Just as was done in the case of final year university, JHS and SHS students, all JHS 2 and SHS 2 students, as well as all teaching and non-teaching staff, will be given reusable face masks. Each school will be provided with Veronica Buckets, gallons of liquid soap, rolls of tissue paper, thermometer guns, and 200 milli-litre containers of sanitizers. JHS 2 students will be given one hot meal a day."

The president indicated that assemblies and sporting events remain banned, and the use by outsiders of school premises for other activities is still not allowed.

"We will continue to ensure that each school, which does not have its own sickbay, has been mapped to a health facility, and care is provided to the sick by nurses assigned to them," he stated.