Decision to reopen schools not premature – Yilo Krobo MP

The decision to reopen schools in the midst of the novel COVID-19 pandemic is not a premature one, Member of Parliament for Yilo Krobo in the Eastern Region has said.

Lawyer Magnus Kofi Amoatey while expressing a variant opinion on calls of sections of the public that reopening schools at current time was inappropriate asserted that all activities in the country could not come to a standstill due to the pandemic, adding that discovering alternative means to deal with the virus was the way to go.

According to him, the decision to reopen the schools is not a hasty decision and opined that the academic calendar ought not to be disrupted due to the pandemic.

“We have asked schools to reopen which to me is not a premature decision because we’re running a calendar and we do not say that because of covid-19, we curtail the calendar, no, the calendar must run,” said the NDC lawmaker.

“Nobody knows when covid-19 is leaving us. We must not relax as a nation because of covid-19. We must find ways and means of living and fighting the disease.”

The astute lawmaker and lawyer made the call on Monday as he presented a number of nose masks and hand sanitizers to the Yilo Krobo Senior High School in Somanya as part of efforts to fight the spread of the virus in the school.

The presentation of 1800 face masks and two boxes of sanitizers, according to the MP was to supplement what the government had presented to the various schools as they reopened for final year and gold track students, as part of measures to avert outbreaks in the schools.

Mr. Amoatey who said his gesture was to safeguard students and both teaching and non-teaching staff from the outbreak of the pandemic said the gesture would be extended to all senior high schools in the municipality.

The legislator said it was imperative for all to come together and work to fight the covid-19 virus irrespective of their political or social affiliations.

The MP who regretted the poor education pertaining to the outbreak observed that most people still refused to wear the nose masks, adding that it was important for all stakeholders to come on board to contribute their quota towards the fight to ensure that the threat it posed is eliminated.

Receiving the items on behalf of the school, headmistress of the Yilo Krobo Senior High School, Mrs. Elizabeth M. Gadagbui-Dzadey lauded the efforts of the Member of Parliament for the area as having come at the right time to complement what government had presented to the school.

She however appealed for more PPE from benevolent stakeholders for the 677 final and second-year gold track students currently in the school, adding that the school was observing all protocols to safeguard the safety of students and staff.