Coronavirus: Face masks in short supply at SHSs at Ellembelle

Correspondence from Western Region:

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, as part of measures to contain the spread of coronavirus in senior high schools, announced that all students will be given 3 facemasks upon resumption on Monday, June 22, 2020.

The president in his 12th address indicated that Veronica buckets, sanitizers, thermometer guns, tissues, and liquid soaps will be presented to all secondary schools across the country.

But a visit to all five public senior high schools in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region on Thursday, June 25, 2020, and on Friday, June 26, 2020, to monitor the situation on the grounds, our Correspondent was told by the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area that so far each student has been given two nose masks instead of three.

The DCE, Mr. Kwasi Bonzoh explaining why the number given to the students at Nkroful Agricultural Senior High School (NASS) was reduced said, the consignment given to the Assembly was not enough for each student to be given three.

Hence all students will be given two face masks instead of three. He, therefore, promised that rest of the face masks would be given later.

"...So each student by the government directive is supposed to get three nose masks but the consignment we received we will give you two, the third one will come so if the headmaster gives you two don't say the headmaster is hoarding them and these nose masks are from the central government and not the Assembly.

Every school that I have gone, I see that students wearing nose masks so add these nose masks to what your parents provided and wash them every day," he said.

He also advised the students to take their studies seriously and observe all the protocols to avoid contracting and spreading the Coronavirus.

"Today we are giving you (NASS) 20 Veronica buckets and we will add the 10 Veronica buckets later, we will give each student a bottle of sanitizer, the school will get thermometer guns, liquid soaps and tissues", he said.

Meanwhile, Headmaster of the school, Nkroful Agricultural Senior High declined to GhanaWeb, on the basis that the government has ordered heads of schools not to engage the media.

"Please I can't speak to the media because I have a text message on my phone and it is from Ghana Education Service that we the Heads of Senior High Schools should not speak to the media"

The headmaster, therefore, directed our Correspondent to the District Education Director of the area for further media encounter.

However, as of today, Monday, June 29, 2020, the government has not supplied the rest of nose masks to the students in the Ellembelle District.

These schools are; Nkroful Agricultural Senior High, Bonzo Kaku Senior High, Esiama Secondary and Technical School, Kikam Technical Institute, and Kamgbunli Islamic Senior High School.

President Akufo-Addo announced the indefinite closure of all schools, effective Monday, March 16, and with a ban on mass gathering as part of the COVID-19 containment measures.