Sissala SHSs record low turnout after COVID-19 break

Tumu, (UW/R), Jan. 20, GNA – Heads of Senior High Schools in the Sissala East Municipality are to embark on a sensitisation campaign to convince parents to allow their wards back to school.

The campaign follows a low turnout recorded by the two Senior High Schools (SHSs) in the Sissala East since the reopening of schools early this month after the COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020.

The campaign will target all communities in the Municipality and beyond to ensure that students were back in school for academic work.

Mr Kanton Luri Mohammed, the Headmaster of Kanton Senior High School, told the GNA on Wednesday that about 216 out of 1,200 students had reported by Monday, January 18, 2021.

“The school has a designated isolation centre for positive cases should they show up. The reason parents should not be afraid to bring their children to school,” he said.

The headmaster gave the assurance that steps were being taken to ensure COVID-19 protocols were observed before classes started.

At the Tumu Senior High Technical School, Madam Grace Bonye, the Assistant Headmistress, indicated that only 250 out of 1,265 students had reported.

She said attendance generally was low but expressed hope that the numbers will pick up in the coming days.

She said the School’s authorities would be embarking on a ‘come back to school’ campaign with teams planned to visit communities in the Municipality and beyond.

She said pregnant students would be allowed to come back to school per the Ghana Education Service directives.

COVID-19 personal protective equipment such as nose masks were distributed to all the students who reported.

She appealed to parents and guardians to encourage their children to report to school since adequate measures were in place to ensure that teachers and students were safe on campus.

Students were seen in their nose masks whilst isolation centres had been prepared for possible positive cases.

GNA