ComSSA-UPSA intensifies coronavirus educational Campaign

The Communication Studies Students Association (ComSSA) of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) as part of its civic responsibility to support national programmes has embarked on an educational campaign on the Coronavirus pandemic to heighten the awareness.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency, the Communications Officer of ComSSA - UPSA, Mr. Jude Ankrah said: "as the COVID -19 continues to evolve, CoMSSA is responding to the communicative needs associated with the spread of the virus to ensure the safety of students and the UPSA community".

"We are monitoring the situation closely and intend providing updates as they become available. We are currently sharing our posters online using social media. We have to support and educate each other. These are not normal times" He added.

The content of such messages included, " stay calm and observe all precautionary measures outlined by the Ghana Health Service, If you wear a face mask be sure it covers your mouth and nose, Dispose used mask into a bin and wash your hands with soap under running water, Provide accurate details of places you have visited and persons you came into contact with. "

Mr. Ephraim Danquah the Vice President for ComSSA - UPSA said, the Association would continue to intensify its campaign and called upon all citizens to join in supporting this campaign to pass the message even further.

"Our video campaign will soon start as well as make donations to some needy people within the UPSA catchment area soon. We are putting in place measures to assist students when school resumes. " He added.

Mr. Charles Nii Ayiku Ayiku the Patron for ComSSA-UPSA said, as students who are trained on how to plan campaigns, it is an opportunity for them to practicalize what they have learned to develop effective campaigns for this pandemic which will go a long way to educate Ghanaians about the coronavirus.

"We are in this together and we all need to come out and use our skills and expertise to inform and educate the world about the facts" he emphasized.

He added that, with the school currently moving to teaching and learning online, students should use their time judiciously and stay safe as they stayed at home.

Vodafone Ghana has currently zero-rated the UPSA online platforms which include, https://join.upsavirtual.site/ (UPSA-Virtual – Official LMS of the University), http://library.upsavirtual.site/ (Access to e-books from Joshua Alabi Library), https://www.upsa.edu.gh (official website of the University).

This means staff and students of the UPSA community who are Vodafone customers will not attract any data or bandwidth charges when using the e-learning platforms.

Commending the initiative of CoMMSA-UPSA, the Head of the Communication Studies Department, Dr. Theodora Dame Adjin-Tettey stressed that this is a global pandemic that has no respect for the young, old, poor, rich great or small. "...its lethal nature requires an aggressive response to it. As communicators, it is imperative to contribute to finding a solution by using the communications tools we have and that is exactly what ComSSA-UPSA is doing and we are happy to support it", she said.

The Association also called on all Telcos to reduce their data charges to encourage students to access very useful websites that are not zero-rated. They urged Ghanaians especially those within the lockdown areas to cooperate with the government as a preventive measure against the COVID-19.

The Association also called on all Telcos to reduce their data charges to encourage students to access very useful websites that are not zero-rated. They urged Ghanaians especially those within the lockdown areas to cooperate with the government as a preventive measure against the COVID-19.

They applauded the Government and the Ministry of Information for the work done so far in informing and educating Ghanaians about the pandemic.

The association also expressed their appreciation to the Department of Communication Studies for the support they have received so far.