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Covid-19 Scare; The Teachers' Role

Feature Article Covid-19 Scare; The Teachers' Role
JUL 21, 2020 LISTEN

In our Senior High Schools, in this Covid season, what we all don't want to anticipate is a breakout of the virus in the schools.-It will be disastrous.

Before students got in, Teachers were cautioned through heads not to talk to the media when a situation arises. Teachers have also been told not to offer any sort of help to students.- for their own safety.Food is not sold on campuses and students have to rely on what the dining halls offer.

Parents won't visit and the obstinate do at their own risk of returning home with their wards.

Things are quite difficult when one is a teacher and a parents in this time. The house masters/mistresses and Senior house masters/mistresses suffer the more.

Heads have to routinely go round to supervise what goes on in and around classrooms.

Students are asked to prep together (boys and girls) since the system wouldn't allow students to move from one class to the other. Class size has been reduced to give room for social distance.

For that matter, many teachers are called on to help prepare students for the exam.

SITUATIONS ON THE GROUND

Students carelessly go about their duties defying the safety protocols. Students are seen in broad day seated on themselves, holding hands and hugging. Students visit other's class and share all sorts of materials.

A student girl said, "it's outside here you see us observing the social distance. Come to our dorm and see." She ended with a cheerful grin.

Students will quickly put on their masks when they see the presence of a teacher. And they do as if the teacher's next salary depend on their ability to wear their masks.

KNUST SHS STUDENT DEMISED, HEAD INTERDICT

Everyone who has been to our Senior High schools will attest to the fact that teachers are surrogates of parents in the schools. Teachers take the task and ensure that students are given the outmost care and protection they require. Even at midnights, teachers are jolted by shouts of other students to convey ill students to clinics or hospitals. Sometimes teachers use their own cars and money to solve problems of ailing students before the parents will be informed.

It happens in most cases where some parents refuse to settle bills their wards incur at hospitals. These students complete school, further, settle on a decent job and call their teachers stupid.

So, I cannot say without evidence how careless, teachers of KNUST SHS were to see their student die before them as they stood aloof.

This is the case, an unfortunate headmistress is indicted for what seem to be negligence on the part of her and the entire school administration.

This may also be the case, where the father of the demised boy instructed for medicine to be given to his son as he journeys to the school. The first thing school authorities do is to administer a first aid through the school clinic to any unwell student. And when it gets worse, the hospital is resorted and the parents take over.

This is also the case, school authorities and homes have strictly been warned not to take any medication in suspicion of what one sees to be Covid.

STUDENTS CONTRACT VIRUS

When the schools reopened, all well meaning people knew it was going to spark fire due to the increasing nature of our numbers.. If our older parents and leaders who hold high offices and wield strong power to command the most effective sanitizers and Veronica buckets to protect themselves from Covid can contract the virus, what do we do to our young adults in basic and High schools who are given a reusable calico-nose masks and a diluted Adonko Sanitizer?

Why do we allow the students who are busily frolicking themselves and absconding to town to remain in school? -We are told life must go on.

We have seen factories shut down overnight when persons in tested positive.

Why are the schools in session when masters and their students have contracted the virus?

As I pensively type, the students are in the classrooms pretending to be learning and holding themselves. Others are perambulating the streets on their campuses spreading droplets to others careless unmasked students.

I write to appeal to authorities concerned to consider the schools as parents and not politicians….. And to find solutions to how students write exams in the future. I also would like to stress that, the political intimidations given heads and teachers who speak their mind on issues crippling the sector be given a human look. We need to give room for the people to operate appropriately.

God Bless Ghana

Wisdom Bonuedi

[email protected]

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