KMA, GES partner to enforce coronavirus safety protocols in schools

Basic schools in the Kumasi Metropolis should adhere strictly to the COVID-19 safety protocols to mitigate the spread of the pandemic, Mr. Osei Assibey-Antwi, the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), has advised.

He said the school authorities were expected to enforce to the letter all the preventive measures prescribed by the Ghana Education Service (GES) and Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) for the safety of the pupils.

A total of 98, 583 pupils in the Kindergarten (KG), Nursery, Upper and Lower Primaries in both the public and private sector are expected to report to their respective schools in the metropolis within this week, following the re-opening of schools.

Additionally, 32, 946 students at the Junior High School (JHS) level would also be reporting at their various schools.

Ghanaian basic schools had since March 15, 2020, been closed, following the outbreak of the pandemic.

Mr Assibey-Antwi, interacting with some pupils while on a visit to some selected schools in Kumasi to welcome them on the ‘My First Day at School’, cautioned the kids to obey instructions of the authorities regarding the observance of the safety protocols.

At the Fankyeneba M/A cluster of schools, the MCE distributed free sanitizers, exercise books, pencils, erasers and nose masks to pupils at the KG and students of the Junior High School (JHS).

The MCE, accompanied by Mr. David Oppong, the Metropolitan Director of Education, demonstrated to the pupils how to sanitize their hands properly on a regular basis.

They were also sensitized to wear their nose masks, wash their hands and observe social distancing all the time.

Mr Assibey-Antwi hinted that in compliance with the government’s directive, the schools had the obligation to create a safe environment for the pupils and students to study.

The KMA, he noted, was working in collaboration with the GES and Metropolitan Health Committee, which is responsible for responding to the threats posed by COVID-19, to support the schools in their fight against the pandemic.

Mr Oppong, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), on the sidelines of the tour, said the Education Directorate was satisfied with the level of compliance to the preventive measures in the schools the authorities had visited.

“We are ensuring that the pupils and students undergo the necessary safety protocols to avoid any disaster,” he remarked, and cautioned school authorities not to compromise on their duties.

He described as encouraging the high presence of pupils at the various schools visited as the ‘My First Day at School’ got underway.

The authorities would continue to support the schools with the requisite personal protective items, he assured.

Other schools visited by the MCE and education authorities included; the Kumasi Senior High Technical School and some selected basic schools at Manhyia.