The Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Ghana Education Service (GES), in collaboration with Zoomlion Ghana Limited, has began phase three of the national disinfection exercise of senior high schools (SHSs) across the country.

The seven-day exercise, which kick-started simultaneously yesterday with SHSs in four regions—Greater Accra, Central, Eastern and Upper West—was to pave way for the reopening of SHSs for Form Two students on October 5, 2020.

It formed part of the government's measures in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the Greater Accra Region, some of the schools that were disinfected on the first day were Accra Wesley Girls' High School, Ideal College, Sakama branch, St. Mary's Senior High School, and Accra Academy Senior High School.

Others were Achimota Senior High School, Osu Presbyterian Senior High School, St. Margaret Mary Senior High/Technical School and Wesley Grammar Senior High School.

Facilities disinfected in the schools included dining halls, assembly halls, administration blocks, libraries, ICT blocks, dormitories, bungalows, classrooms among others.

In addition to the disinfection exercise, the company also used its atomisers to spray open spaces and surfaces of the schools.

At the Accra Wesley Girls' SHS, the Assistant Headmistress (Administration), Mrs Gifty Korantemah, expressed gratitude to the MoE, GES and Zoomlion for the exercise.

She said the national disinfection exercises has helped a great deal in containing the spread of the virus, particularly in the SHSs.

From the Accra Wesley Girls' SHS, the team moved to the Ideal College branch at Sakama in the Ablekuma North Municipal which saw the school's facilities disinfected.

Speaking to journalists on the side-lines of the exercise in Wesley Grammar SHS, the General Manager, Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Accra Zone, Mr Ernest Morgan Acquah, revealed that the exercise will cover 109 SHSs and Special Schools in the Greater Accra Region.

According to him, the third phase was strictly disinfection against the COVID-19 pandemic in the SHSs in the country.

He explained that it was crucial that a third disinfection exercise was carried out in the SHSs and basic schools, especially when the schools received final year students to enable them write their exit examinations.

“So looking at the interval that they finish their exit exams and the fact that the schools will soon be receiving another batch of students, it was key that we disinfect their environment to protect the children from the coronavirus,” he stressed.

He indicated that the cooperation so far between the various heads and his company has, once again, been excellent, noting “we have not faced any challenge since the beginning of the third phase of the disinfection exercise.”

While commending the government for its efforts in the fight against the virus, Mr Morgan Acquah urged parents to educate their children on the need to continuously observe the COVID-19 preventive protocols.

In the Central Region, Zoomlion disinfected St Augustine’s College, Wesley Girls among others on the first day of the exercise.

Aburi Girl’s SHS, Ghana Secondary School, Koforidua Secondary Technical Senior High School, New Juaben Secondary and others were some of the schools the benefited from the exercise.

Meanwhile, regions including Northern, Savannah, Upper East, Volta Region, Western, Western North, Bono Region, Bono East and Ahafo will have theirs done on Thursday, September 24, 2020.