Coronavirus: Wa Technical Institute students to receive counselling

Students at the Wa Technical Institute will receive guidance and counselling to dispel possible fears among the students of contracting the Coronavirus (COVID-19) as they report to school on January 15, 2021.

The guidance and counselling was to also encourage the students to take their studies very seriously as the long school break could have had negative impact on their learning.

Mr Osbert Salifu Dambie, the Vice Principal of the Wa Technical Institute, who said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Wa on Friday, said the move was part of measures to receive the students.

He said the guidance and counselling was, hitherto, held for only first-year students but that it had become necessary for all the students to benefit due to the COVID-19 impact.

“It is because the students sat home for long, it is like they have forgotten of their studies. So we want to remind them that they are in school and have to learn."

“As they are coming from home, they may have fears that once they are together they will be infested with the Coronavirus,” he explained.

Mr Dambie noted that the school had put in place measures to ensure strict adherence to the COVID-19 safety protocols, among both the students and the staff.

He said the school had made available hand sanitizers for the students while the students were required to come along with nose masks.

He appealed for support from the government in terms of the Personal Protective Equipment.

The Vice-Principal said there were handwashing facilities at the student hostels and classrooms to ensure the students regularly wash their hands.

A visit to some basic schools in the Wa Municipality revealed that some school children had reported to the school and were cleaning the compound.

Some teachers at the Tindaamba Basic School, who spoke to the GNA, said the children were preparing the campus for earnest academic activities to begin on Monday.

At some schools, though the school children were in school doing the cleaning, no teacher was at the school at the time of the visit.

Thomas Dumba, the Administrator for Dan-Ibu International School, said the school would officially reopen on Monday with all COVID-19 protocols in place.

He said the teachers were orientated to observe strict COVID-19 safety protocols and to protect the school children from contracting the virus.