Every school must set up 'CoronavirusCompliance Committee' - Prof. Joseph Osafo

Professor Joseph Osafo, Head of Psychology at University of Ghana, has called on schools to set up a COVID-19 Compliance Committee to assist students and pupils in observing the COVID-19 protocols.

Schools across the country officially began today after 10 months closure due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo announced, during his 21st update on the pandemic, the resumption of kindergarten, Junior and Senior High Schools and tertiary institutions.

Kindergarten and JHS were to resume on Friday, January 15 but, according to the Ghana Education Service (GES), the schools are to officially open on Monday, January 18 with clean-up exercises.

Although schools have reopened, there are worries over the little children in adhering to the COVID-19 safety protocols as some fear the children might be exposed to the disease.

To put the matter to rest, Prof. Joseph Osafo has suggested a solution.

According to him, the various schools should have Compliance Committee whose duty will be to go round the school classrooms and campuses, particularly during break hours, to ensure the students and pupils are indeed wearing their nose masks and also taking all the precautionary measures to curb the spread of the disease.

''You will have to continuously monitor them...I don't know what the teachers will do but my thinking and my suggestion is that schools should have certain Committees that are COVID-19 Compliance Committee. This means in some schools, they have security or people who whilst teaching is ongoing or school is on break, they can authorize the children to wear their masks. It can help because once they're playing, teachers may not be around'', he told host Nana Yaw Kesseh on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo''.

He also charged the schools to help the government by taking up the challenge to be innovative.

''Teachers and schools will have to be very innovative...Every school should see this as a challenge and opportunity.''