Private schools in Ashaiman officially opened for business Monday, January 18, 2021 after Covid-19 struck Ghana in March 2020, forcing the government to temporarily close down all schools.
The closure of schools, including all public and social centres was taken by the government to, as much as possible, slow the spread of the killer Covid-19.
Albeit the country is doing its best to slow the spread of the virus, which has taken a new wave, educational institutions cannot remain locked, in the view of the government.
Therefore, after ten months, the government announced the official reopening of all educational institutions for all departments, reminding players about the strict adherence to all safety protocols.
The news was welcomed especially by private school operators, who were hard hit by the ten months’ closure of their businesses.
Before Monday, January 18, 2021 most private schools opened their premises for fumigation, disinfection and massive mopping and cleaning for main business to start.
A couple of parents The Chronicle interacted with over the weekend on their readiness and preparedness to send their wards to school expressed some reluctance of allowing their little ones resume school on Monday, especially because of the new strain of the virus.
Again, they wondered if their little children could wear the nose masks for the longer instructional hours they would spend in school.
Others expressed optimism that the teachers would ensure the pupils stuck to all the important health protocols in the classrooms and during lunch, especially when most pupils crowd at the canteen to be served their meal.
On Monday morning, during The Chronicle’s tour of some private schools in Ashaiman to observe happenings, many parents, wearing nose masks, were seen entering the schools with their wards also masked.
The schools The Chronicle could tour included CeCOM Royals, Peace Paradise, Newland Basic, New Happy Home Academy, Adonai Excellent Academy, Star Light and Kings Court International.
At all the schools visited, Veronica buckets with clean water, soap and disposable tissue had been positioned at the entrance for hand washing and cleaning.
Before any pupil or parent could enter the premises, a teacher checked and recorded their temperature, after which they proceeded to wash their hands.
Parents or pupils who did not put on nose masks were not allowed entry.
At the schools, parents with their little children were received at the reception.
A few parents who spoke to The Chronicle expressed appreciation at the protocols they observed and hoped it would not be a nine-day wonder.
Others, after lauding the health protocols they observed, expressed unhappiness for being disallowed entry into their wards’ classrooms to observe the sitting arrangements of the pupils.
Kings Court International School was one of the schools where parents were not allowed entry to the classrooms and a teacher, who declined to disclose her name, told The Chronicle that even before the outbreak of Covid-19, parents who took their wards to school were received at the reception.
“Additionally, we do not have a large class and the parents are aware of this. I don’t see the reason why some parents would insist on entering the classrooms to see the sitting arrangements of the pupils,” the teacher explained.
The teacher told The Chronicle that the day’s attendance was not encouraging but was hopeful that in the subsequent days, the school would record a higher attendance.
At CeCOM Royals School, Reverend Michael Owusu-TwumFlitz, Head of Accounts, told The Chronicle that attendance was encouraging.
Like all the schools The Chronicle visited, Reverend Michael said parents with wards were received at the reception, after their temperature was recorded and had washed their hands.
He continued that his school does not have a large class size, hence spacing the pupils’ furniture in the classrooms would not be a challenge.
“In fact, the desks were already spaced out before the Covid-19 hit us and for us at CeCOM, though we have registered new comers today, our classrooms are spacious enough for the strict adherence of social distancing, while we are being mindful of avoiding overcrowding,” he noted.
Many a parent had earlier expressed the view that the government ought to have reopened for Creche to Primary three first weeks in February, by which time teachers in the schools would have strategised to contain the difficult pupils in the lower school.
But Mrs Grace Tettey, a teacher at the Grace Assemblies of God School said: “Parents have no cause to worry about the safety of their wards. The teachers are ready to provide assuring safety to their kids. All we need to be mindful of are the observations of the strict health protocols wherever we find ourselves.”
The post Happy day for private schools operators appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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