IFEST calls for suspension of reopening of basic schools

The Institute For Education Studies (IFEST) has made a passionate call to the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service to suspend the reopening of all basic schools in the country citing the shortage of PPEs as the reason.

The Institute avers that until all the necessary PPEs are provided to all schools, the schools should remain shut.

IFEST in a statement copied to ModernGhana News finds the decision by government “shocking because the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service have had the privilege of experiencing the challenges that bedevilled the sharing of these PPEs during the partial reopening last year and should have started the distribution long ago before the reopening date”.

It wonders why the authorities will announce the reopening of basic schools without providing the required PPEs when the number of COVID19 cases is in the ascendency.

“Unfortunately, pupils have had to report to school today without the needed PPEs at a time when Covid-19 is in the ascendency in the country. This sadly comes just a day after the President's announcement to Ghanaians on enforcing the Covid-19 protocols,” the statement added.

This, the institute argues put the lives of the teachers and the pupils at risk of contracting the deadly virus hence must not be allowed to continue.

However, the Institute has urged parents and guardians to help their wards by providing them with nose masks and hand sanitizers to aid them to protect themselves from the virus whiles in school.

Read full statement below: