Coronavirus: Basic school students appeal for mandatory testing

Some final year students of Junior High Schools (JHS) in the Ho Municipality of the Volta Region have called on the Government to conduct mandatory COVID-19 testing in all Basic Schools.

The students who returned to school to prepare for their Basic Education Certificate Examination said they were happy to return but were afraid as they did not know the status of each other, thus the call for the test.

They told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview during a visit to some Basic schools in the Municipality said though they would observe the necessary protocols to stem the spread of the disease, the test was necessary as they were coming from different homes.

They also called on the school authorities to ensure that adequate preventive measures were put in place to safeguard their safety during the period.

The GNA saw Veronica buckets filled with water, tissue papers, liquid soaps, and hand sanitizers placed at vantage points and entrances of classrooms of the campuses to enable students to observe the handwashing protocols.

Students and teachers were also seen in masks, with “NO MASK, NO ENTRY” written on classrooms to limit the spread of the virus.

Madam Dzifa Jemima Gidiglo, Headmistress of Kabore JHS told the GNA that the school was prepared to continue with academic work as the necessary preventive measures against the virus were put in place.

She said both teachers and students would have to check their temperatures before entering the classrooms, adding that no student or teacher would be allowed to enter the classrooms if their temperatures were not checked.

Madam Gidiglo said no visitor would also be entertained in the school and any student who left the school to the town would not be allowed to return the school.

Madam Victoria Newlove Addae, Headmistress of Ho Kpodzi E.P Basic B said the school had put all the necessary protocols in place to ensure the safety of teachers and students.

She said the school had taken delivery of some assorted items from the Municipality Education Directorate including infrared thermometer gun, masks, and hand sanitizers to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Madam Addae said the items would be distributed to both teachers and students to stem the spread of the virus.

She said her outfit would ensure that both teachers and students adhere strictly to the health safety protocols so that there would be no record of the virus in the school.