Anthony Boateng, Deputy Director-General, Management Services, Ghana Education Service (GES), on Tuesday said the adherence to COVID-19 protocols by some Basic Schools within the Greater Accra metropolis was impressive.

He said this during a routine visit to some schools by representatives from GES, Ghana Health Service (GHS) and UNICEF to mark this year’s “My First Day at School” an initiative by the GES and partners to welcome the first time admitted pupils for the term to school.

The team visited Nima Cluster of Schools, Maamobi Prisons Basic School and Bethany Methodist School.

He said the enforcement of the protocols was essential in the fight against the pandemic and efforts put in by pupils, teachers, and parents was commendable.

He said Personal Protective Equipment had been made available to most basic schools across the country to curb the spread of the virus however arrangement was being made to reach some few schools who had not received their supplies by the close of the week.

Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, Director General, Ghana Health Service said over the past year the Service had introduced a health screening exercise in Basic Schools to ensure that pupils remained healthy to pursue their academic work.

“We are also here to see and ensure the right implementation of the COVID-19 protocols to keep the learning environment safe,” he said.

He said enforcement of compliance to the protocols was every body’s business and that parents and teachers should equally take up the task to continually teach the children to adapt to the new behavioural change.

The team interacted with first-time pupils and urged them to study hard as they kept to the COVID-19 protocols.

UNICEF donated some stationary, thermometer guns and handwashing stations to the schools visited to facilitate learning and compliance to the protocols.

Madam Anne-Claire Dufay, Country Representative, UNICEF, commended GES, GHS for their effort to ensure the successful reopening of schools and the enforcement of COVID-19 protocols in the schools.

She said the Day was an exciting one because the pupil were returning to school for the first time after about eight months of schools closure as well as new students.

She said the provisions made by UNICEF was to ensure the safety of the students and to encourage them in their academic work.