Accra, Aug. 25, GNA – Philip Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, has called on government to expedite actions on the re-opening of schools in the country after the easing of some COVID-19 restrictions.
A statement signed by Boateng Mensah, Executive Director of Philip Foundation, and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra said they were expecting the committee set up by the President chaired by the senior minister to advise on re-opening of schools as indicated in one of the Presidents Covid-19 addresses.
“The negative impact for continuous keeping children at home would be irrecoverable and would jeopardize the future of quite a number of our children.
“A major concern is children loitering in town, and others selling by the roadside may lose interest in education,” it said.
The Foundation appealed to government to re-open schools as recommended by international bodies such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to demonstrate its continuous commitment towards the education of the Ghanaian child.
It said a recent publication by WHO and UNICEF urged governments across the world to ensure that schools were reopened for children to go back and study because of the dangers and challenges they were facing while at home.
“We further urge Ghana Education Service and the Director-General to come out to consider the danger of students’ continuous stay out of school when the school environment can be more regulated and stable for academic work respecting safety protocols,” it said.
GNA