‘Test teachers and students for coronavirus before school re-opens’ - Prof Nsowah-Nuamah

Professor Nicolas Nsowah-Nuamah, President of the Dominion University College, has called for teachers and final year students to be tested for COVID-19 before schools re-open on June 15.

He said the two weeks interval granted by the President should be used for proper planning, including COVID-19 testing, to ascertain their status in order to allay the fears of teachers, tutors, lecturers and students.

Prof. Nsowah-Nuamah made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Monday in reaction to the President's Directive on easing of restrictions on social gatherings.

In his 10th national broadcast on measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 last Sunday, President Akufo-Addo said effective Monday, June 15, final year students of junior high schools (JHS), senior high schools (SHS) and universities will go back to school.

All final year students of educational and training institutions which are being managed by ministries other than the Education Ministry were to return to complete their exit examinations.

Final year university students were to report to campus on June 15, SHS 3 students together with SHS 2 Gold Track students were to report on June 22 whilst the JHS 3 students would report on June 29.

All JHS 3 classes will comprise a maximum of 30 students, SHS classes 25, and university lectures will take half the class size.

Prof. Nsowah-Nuamah welcomed the President's decision to reopen schools for the final year students and underlined the need for school managements to improvise strategies to ensure smooth teaching and learning.

Commenting on the psychology of students towards observing social distancing, he noted that it was risky because there was the tendency for students to relax.

"The problem is once the President has spoken and eased the restrictions people tend to think that the problem has subsided and so the strict adherence of the social distancing protocols might not be observed by the students.”

"You remember when the three-week partial lockdown was lifted what happened, it's likely some students may behave in a similar fashion," he said.

Prof. Nsowah-Nuamah, therefore, called for sustained efforts of educating the students and teachers alike to observe the safety and hygiene protocols.

Ghana recorded its first two COVID-19 cases on March 12 and since then Government had taken a number of measures to contain the respiratory disease.

They include the closure of the country's borders, setting up of screening centres at the various points of entry, creation of holding rooms for suspected COVID-19 cases, isolation and treatment centres.

Other measures include closure of schools, churches, mosques, drinking spots and ban on conferences, festivals and sporting activities across the country.

Government imposed a three-week partial lockdown on epicentres of the virus including Accra, Tema, Kasoa and Greater Kumasi.

Also, government provided free water to all Ghanaians and subsidised electricity tariffs for all categories of consumers, as well as tax rebate for all frontline health workers and 50 per cent increase on their basic salary for four months and provided one billion stimulus package for businesses that have been affected by the virus.