National Vice-Chair of the Ghana Coalition Of NGOs In Health (GCNH), K.D Ninsau, has stated that the decision to reopen schools was done without a carefully thought out plan.

According to him, even though the announcement was made, he believes the government should have given parents and schools more time to prepare adequately for the arrival of students.

In an interview with Samuel Eshun on TV Ghana’s Factsheet, he said, “even the schools were not given the chance to prepare adequately. And parents should have also been informed and educated that government cannot provide everything for their wards”.

He believes with this information, parents would have at least provided their wards with the basics, like nose masks and hand sanitisers”.

Giving a first-hand account from schools he visited in some rural areas, he added, “I only saw one sanitiser in each class but they had no veronica buckets and thermometer guns. Some did not even have water for handwashing. All they had were liquid soaps”.

He thinks the decision made was not the best because it puts children, teachers, parents and the whole country at risk.

“The district municipal assembly and the education offices did not do proper planning because they were under pressure to reopen schools. I don’t know where that pressure was coming from”, he sadly submitted.

After schools were closed in March to protect students from the COVID-19 pandemic, President Akufo-Addo in his 22nd address to nation on measures taken against the pandemic announced that; schools were to be reopened on January 15, 2021, with strict adherence to COVID-19 safety protocols.