ARTICLE: WHY GOVERNMENT SHOULD REOPEN SCHOOLS.

Benedicta Tiwaa Amankwah

I am Benedicta Tiwaa Amankwah, a student at the ever prestigious university named after Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah - KNUST, reading Geography and Rural Development.

In as much as no human being can predict the end of this Pandemic, it should not  come as an opportunity cost of education, especially one that has been paid for. There should be a way out to help Students gain knowledge in this Pandemic. Until a Vaccine is discovered, life and education can not be at stand still. There should be a way to resume the normal life we use to have but this time with a keen interest in protecting ourselves. When you look at other countries outside the continent and within the continent, there have been some effort that gears toward reopening of schools. This should be a yardstick to prove to us as a nation that it is something that is possible.

One reason some educational scholars are giving is the use of online platform for studies to complement what we used to have, but we all can attest to the fact that in this country, that is not the way out since millions of students don’t have access to internet at home. Moreover, despite the fact that Students have  limited access to Internet at home, Students also lacked the needed skills to efficiently and effectively access online information. Looking at the way forward to this challenge I will plead for the need to improve Internet infrastructure and also train learners on skills needed for effective online studies.

Looking at all these, it is my humble interest that government should  reopen school for final year students of Junior High Schools, Senior High Schools and Tertiary Institutions. Regardless of that, the health of Students and staff should be a priority to the Government and everyone. I will also recommend the testing of all Students, teaching and Non teaching staffs to help mitigate the spread of the virus. Moreover teachers and police men should ensure that the students are not crowded together as we see over the years. The final year students must be off the board. They shouldn't reopen school for all students because students may breach safety protocols when schools are reopened nationwide.

As we look at reopening the final year students, I will recommend that, the teachers use first term report or the commulative records to access students from Nursery to JHS 2 and SHS 1 to SHS 2 to  promote them to the next class, so that they can reopen school in September.

As I made mention of it earlier, final year students in the various universities and colleges  should go to school to defend  their projects, and lecturers should also grade them with their assignments and quizzes that they have been doing whiles at home so that they can graduate as soon as possible.

However, with JHS Students more than 80% of them stay at where they school so they can write the BECE with much attention to precautionary measures. They should keep their physical distances and use their nose masks and sanitizers often at the exams room. Teachers should also adhere to the preventive measures when at their various centers and during invigilation. Veronica buckets should be provided in all schools as well.

The senior High schools come with challenges since the students come from different regions all over the nation but they can use the one man one seat system in the vehicles to come to their various schools to write the exams safely. In addition to them they should all be tested. Since the SHS 2 and SHS 1 students are not around, they will get enough classes to study and write their exams. When it comes to dinning, they will have a large hall to dine, with which they can also do physical Distancing. Moreover, the students will get enough dormitories to sleep, where there will be more space to maintain the social Distancing protocol, Veronica buckets should also be provided as well. Day-Students should be made boarders compulsory so that there wouldn't be a  the spread of the virus. Teachers should also make sure that examination malpractice are reduced at the various examination centers as they comply to the precautionary measures.

Lecturers in the Tertiary Level should also use the assignments and quizzes written by Students from  First to third years when they were at home to grade them for their second semester.

Indeed all these shall pass but since we are still in this pandemic, I believe the government should reopen schools for all final year students in the country because we can't afford to jeopardize our education. We are in this together, we shall defeat this pandemic, we will rise from the ashes again. So help us God.

STAY SAFE.

Benedicta Tiwaa Amankwah
Geography and Rural Development (second year)
Student and Leader.