The Ghana Education Service (GES) has said the 2020 BECE candidates preparing to sit for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) are to spend four hours in school each day, with a maximum of at least 30 students per class, the Ghana News Agency has reported.

According to the Service, this forms part of safety measures put in place to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as school reopens on Monday, June 29.

The Education Service has also advised parents to feed their children adequately and provide for their snacks and fruits before reporting to school.

The Central Regional Director of the GES, Mrs. Martha Owusu Acheampong speaking at a stakeholders meeting at the Regional Coordinating Council in Cape Coast on Thursday said classes would start from 0900 hours to 1300 hours each day.

The meeting which was attended by MMDCEs, heads of senior and basic schools, Regional and District Health Directors, the Police, and Heads of Department and Agencies was to establish a clear cut operational instructions for the re-opening of Basic and Senior High Schools (SHS).

As part of the measures, the Education Director indicated that students would undergo daily enhanced routine protocols before being allowed entry into their classrooms.

Mrs. Martha Owusu Acheampong added that Water Sanitation and Health (WASH) facilities would be provided and positioned at entry points in the schools while each student would be equipped with three washable usable nose masks.

According to the Education Directorate, the students would be trained by a team from the Ghana Health Service on the appropriate use of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that would be given to them.

She, however, stated that for the safety of students, teachers and non-teaching staff there will be no mass gathering, no religious activities, no sporting activities, and no visitors during school hours.

Also, food vendors would not be granted access to sell in the schools, this she said is to reduce external contacts.

As already stated by the Minister for Education, 2020 BECE candidates would spend eleven weeks for revision and one week to write the BECE, while the SHS would spend six weeks for revision and five weeks for the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

To ensure a safe school reopening, the waste management giant, Zoomlion Ghana Limited has started fumigation and disinfection exercise in both public and private across the country.

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According to the waste management giant, it has so far fumigated over 100 SHS and 2,460 basic schools and disinfection is ongoing.

Source: Georgeweb.org