Member of Parliament for Builsa South Constituency in the Upper East Region, Dr. Clement Abas Apaak has called on relevant authorities especially the government to as matter of urgency intervenes in providing the needed PPEs to schools.
According to him, the inadequate and late distribution of PPEs to schools will not be tolerated as the lives of students regarding the coronavirus pandemic should not be gambled with.
Speaking to A1 Radio, Dr. Apaak said his checks at some schools in rural communities are still without PPEs; some have received only sanitizers, liquid soaps, or both, but not nose masks.
“In several other schools, there is no running water. The same students who should be protected are rather carriers. Overcrowding in schools remains another issue that has been brought to my attention; several classes, especially, in public schools, are overcrowded.”
He stressed that reports available to him showed that some class sizes exceeding eighty (80) students per class.
“What even more worrying is the inadequate furniture, which compels three to four students to share a dual desk, designed for two students. Don’t forget that one of the critical protocols in the prevention of the spread of the virus is social distancing. This compels all schools to ensure adherence to this protocol, and this issue must be brought to the attention of the government.”
Touching on the lower levels, Dr. Apaak questioned the sensitization level of the new variant to the teachers and their pupils.
“Students in the lower levels, from Kindergarten (KG) to Primary four don’t fully understand the implications of not following the protocols and have been seen playing with each other, not wearing nose masks. And you see, let us be frank to ourselves. Even we adults, many have had difficulties admitting to some of these protocols. Look at our public transport system, we have already been allowed to get crowded. People patronize this service without regard to the warnings of the new variant, even adults. How much of this can we not expect among our children at this level of the educational ladder?”
Following these concerns, Dr. Apaak however begging answers to why President Akufo-Addo and the government knew all these yet failed to do the needful by providing the needed PPEs in time to various schools to end the spread of COVID-19 among the young ones as schools have reopened.
“Why did the President assure us that all arrangements were in place to reopen schools in a manner that will not endanger the lives of students and pupils? The evidence suggests that the situation on the ground does not support that assurance. I am sure you have seen and heard media report instances of the unavailability or inadequacy of these basic protective gears promised by the President ahead of the reopening of schools.
The government, through the Ghana Education Service (GES), had close to ten months to reopen schools. Couldn’t additional spaces, even if temporarily, in the form of tents not have been created to reduce class sizes? Couldn’t the shift system have been introduced to help decongest schools as a short-term measure? Couldn’t furniture have been procured to address the clustering of students on the few in the classrooms? Couldn’t PPEs have been mobilized and distributed to schools at least a week before reopening;
What was so compelling that the President, Nana Akufo-Addo ought to have opened schools on the day he did when indeed, we did not have the full composition of protective gears distributed to schools? Should he not have ensured all schools had received the full compliments of PPEs before schools are opened instead of now being compelled to act to reach all after they have already been opened?”
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Moses Apiah|Ghana
