The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) is backing calls for the government to reclose schools after reopening this week.
President of the Association, Philippa Larson, has said that a tour she undertook around schools shows that no much preparation has gone into ensuring that school campuses are safe against the coronavirus disease.
According to her, she observed during her tour that most students were not wearing nose masks, and were not using hand sanitizers amidst complete disregard for COVID-19 safety protocols.
On Monday, the Institute for Education Studies (IFEST) had called on the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service to suspend the reopening of schools till all relevant PPEs promised by the government are distributed to all schools.
Executive Director of IFES Peter Anti, explained that after campaigning for the reopening of the schools IFES had become disappointed about the government’s failure to deliver the basic PPEs to schools.
President Akufo-Addo had said in his 21st address to the nation on measures taken against COVID-19 announced that children in kindergarten, primary and Junior High, in both private and public schools, would be safe when they returned to school because all the appropriate measures were being taken to ensure safety.
In addition to fumigating and disinfecting schools and other institutions across the country, he had also promised to equip all schools and students with the necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) and isolation centers to deal with any cases of COVID-19 positives.