Bolgatanga Technical University ready for reopening

The Bolgatanga Technical University (BTU) in the Upper East Region has established a COVID-19 taskforce to ensure compliance with the protocols.

It is part of efforts by the institute to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus disease when students return to school.

About a week ago, President Akufo-Addo announced that students of tertiary institutions could return to school from January 11, 2021, to resume academic work after the long break due to the pandemic.

The University has about 1,000 continuing students returning to school and is preparing to admit 1,000 new students to pursue various programmes.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency on preparations, Professor Samuel Erasmus Alnaa, the Interim Vice Chancellor of BTU, said: “The Management of this University will not compromise on its efforts at ensuring that the students of the school adhere strictly to the COVID-19 safety protocols.”

He stated that the Taskforce would strictly enforce the COVID-19 safety protocols, including the wearing of nose masks before being allowed onto campus to attend lectures and other official duties.

“The COVID-19 Taskforce will also ensure that the sitting arrangements in lecture halls are given more space in addition to the procurement of hand washing and hygiene facilities and gun thermometers placed at vantage points for easy accessibility,” Professor Alnaa stressed.

He thanked the Zoomlion Ghana Limited, a Waste Management Company, for fumigating and disinfecting the school before resumption.

He, therefore, allayed the fears of students and parents about safety on campus and cautioned the students to ensure they adhered to the pandemic protocols while on campus.

The Interim Vice Chancellor said before the conversion of the Polytechnic into a Technical University, the School enrolment figure used to be about 500 but that had doubled.

He attributed the trend to the conversion of the School into a technical university coupled with the Free Senior High School Policy and the introduction of new programmes by the University.