Protocol non-compliance by schools will trigger closure - NaSIA

The National Schools Inspectorate Authority, NaSIA, will not hesitate to summarily shut down schools that violate COVID-19 safety protocols.

According to NaSIA Director-General, Dr Haggar Hilda Ampadu, her outfit will undertake nationwide monitoring and evaluation efforts to ensure compliance with protocols following the reopening of schools.

“If you are a school and you are not going by the protocols and exposing our children unnecessarily we will let you shut down. We have to ensure there is the safety of our learners and that is our key goal.

“So if we come to the school and we inspect the protocols and we find out that your handwashing system does not exist, your sanitiser system does not exist, social distancing system does not exist then you have no business in running a school at this point,” she stressed in an interview with Joy News.

The looming closure will cut across public and private schools in case non-compliance is detected. She added that schools that are unable to guarantee social distancing have been tasked to run shifts.

“If you cannot seat children in a social distance recommended metres, then you should run a shift system so one batch will come in the morning for 5 hours and the other batch will come in the afternoon.”

Members of the public have also been tasked to report recalcitrant schools to help authorities to take action where required.