C’ttee on possible reopening of schools submits report

The committee tasked with the responsibility to advice the Ministry of Education on matters relating to a possible re-opening of schools in the country, has submitted its report to the Minister of Education, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, in Accra, yesterday.

Chaired by Professor Dominic Fobih, a former Minister of Education, the committee was to among other things assess and proffer advice on the feasibility and modalities to be put in place, towards a possible reopening of schools for the 2020/21 academic year for basic and second cycle schools.

According to a statement signed by the minister’s press secretary, Mr Rodney Nkrumah-Boateng, Dr Prempeh thanked members of the committee for their hard work and diligence, and stated that the report would be forwarded to the President ahead of extensive stakeholder engagement on the rollout of the decision by the President.

It is expected that the President and his advisors will study the report along with its recommendations and issue the relevant directives within the context of an announcement by the Presidency that the next academic year would commence in January 2021, following the outbreak of the Coronavirus 2019 Disease (COVID-19) pandemic in March this year, which saw the closing down of all schools in the country. 

Subsequently, finial year Junior High School (JHS), Senior High School (SHS) and tertiary students were allowed to return to school to complete their terminal examinations, and Form 2 JHS and SHS students are expected to return to school to complete the 2019/20 academic year.

By Cliff Ekuful