Regional News of Sunday, 23 August 2020

Source: Patricia Ofori Atta, Contributor

Upper East tertiary instutions readied for reopening

The exercise is in line with the president's directive for the reopening of tertiary schools The exercise is in line with the president's directive for the reopening of tertiary schools

Tertiary instutions in the Upper East Region have indicated their readiness to receive continuing students back to school to enable them complete the academic calendar.

According to some senior administrative staff, they have put in place adequate COVID-19 preventive mechanisms to protect both the students, teaching and non-teaching staff members from contracting the virus.

They gave the assurance when the Ministry of Education (MoE), the Ghana Education Service (GES) partnered Zoomlion Ghana Limited (ZGL) to embark on the second phase of disinfection in tertiary instutions across the country.

The exercise in the Upper East begun on Friday, and it was in line with President Akufo-Addo’s directive for all tertiary instutions in the country to be disinfected against the virus before reopening on August 24th, 2020.

The first school that saw its open spaces, lecture halls, administration and other facilities disinfected was Millar Institute for Transdisciplinary and Development Studies, Bolgatanga

Addressing the media on the sidelines of the exercise, Vice President, Academic Affairs, Millar Institute for Transdisciplinary and Development Studies, Paschal B. Atengden, while affirming that his school was ready, noted that the second disinfection exercise would help protect the school’s space against the virus.

“I am very happy with the government and Zoomlion Ghana Limited partnership to undertake this national exercise. It is a good thing and it will help halt the spread of the virus,” he said.

He was also full of praise for the president, especially for including private institutions in the national exercise.

To this end, Mr Atengden appealed to the central government and GES to include the private schools and institutions in any national exercise that would benefit educational instutions in the wake of the COVID-19 epidemic in the country.
Other instutions that also benefited were the Bolgatanga Technical University, St. John Busco's College of Education in Navrongo

At the St John Busco's College of Education, the Estate Manager, John Amoah, was very elated about the exercise.

He also added that the college had put in place all the necessary measures to welcome back the continuing students.

The Deputy Manage, Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Upper East Region, Issaka Abubarka described day one of the exercise as successful.

According to him, his company had already disinfected 5 tertiary institutions in the region.