Report pupils, students' abnormal health conditions first to school heads, teachers urged

The teachers of basic schools have been advised to first report unexpected abnormal health condition of pupils and students to the school heads for first aid treatment before informing a parent or guardian about it.

Mr. Issah Baffoe, the Sunyani West Municipal Director of Education gave the advice in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Monday at Odumase in the Bono Region, saying the rationale is to avoid fear and panic among parents and guardians.

He explained that the temperature of a child could be high if he/she walked through the sun for a very long time and that there would be the need for the temperature to be taken repeatedly before any action could be taken.

Mr Baffoe said teachers must first report pupils and with high-temperature to school heads for the head(s) to also inform the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Response Team in the District or Municipality for rapid response.

He emphasised, however, that any teacher, pupil or student who might not be feeling well in school must not necessarily be considered as having been infected by the COVID-19 virus.

This, Mr Baffoe explained was because a positive case of the pandemic could only be proved after a suspected victim had been taken through the formal approved thorough testing procedures at a designated testing centre.

He, therefore, urged parents and guardians to make it a matter of priority to provide nose masks and face shields to their children and wards to protect themselves and others from a possible contraction of the COVID-19 virus.

Touching on efforts made against the spread of COVID-19, he announced that the Municipal Education Directorate had received Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) from the Ghana Education Service (GES) headquarters to be distributed to pupils and students in both public and private schools in the Municipality.

Mr Baffoe said food vendors must provide certified health certificates by health directorates in addition to adhering to all the COVID-19 prevention protocols and directives before they would be allowed to sell food to avoid endangering the lives of pupils and students.

He said schools heads had been informed at a meeting not to permit the selling of sweets and drinks at the school campuses because the school children must eat healthy and well-balanced diets to boost their immune systems.