Mr Augustine Quashigah, the Headteacher of Living Word Assembly International School, said the school has put in place safety measures to protect final year students returning to prepare for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

Mr Quashigah said the school took delivery of Personal Protective Equipment from the Teshie Municipal Assembly, including; thermometer guns, face masks and sanitizers to be placed at vantage points for handwashing as part of the safety protocols.

“We have adhered to all the necessary precautionary measures directed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the students to feel safe amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic,” he added.

President Akufo-Addo in a televised address on Sunday, June 28, said 532,000 final-year Junior High School students in 17,439 schools across the country are to return to school on Monday, June 29, 2020 to prepare and sit for the BECE.

He said 45,000 Veronica buckets, 90,000 gallons of liquid soap, 90,000 rolls of tissue paper, 40,000 thermometer guns, 750,000 pieces of 200mils sanitizers, and 2.2 million reusable face masks were procured and distributed to the 17, 439 schools across the country.

“The JHS final year students will be in school for 11 weeks of preparation and revision and sit the BECE test a week after.

As per set rules, 30 students will sit in a class with lessons starting from 0900 hours and closing at 1300 hours.”

The Headteacher, responding to the President’s directives on class size towards the reopening, said the school currently had 19 final year students which were below the directives on the 30 class size.

The GNA also visited the Ford Schools, Ebenezer Schools and the Teshie Cluster of schools to observe the measures put in place to receive the final year students.

Mr Quashigah said they had cleaned the classrooms and the environment to ensure that all the students were catered for in adhering to health protocols.

On the adherence to social distancing, the Headteacher said management had spaced the classrooms to conform to the two-metre social distancing rule.

He said the 11 weeks announced by the President to prepare the final year students for the BECE would be enough because the school had engaged the students during the outbreak of the COVID-19, saying they were ready for the exams.

All the public schools visited failed to grant an interview with the GNA because they had no permission to do so.

The GNA observed, during the tour, that all students at the schools visited had their nose masks on.

All the schools had veronica buckets placed at the entrance for hand washing before entering, amidst a registration desk for the students.