![Basic school children happily report back to school](https://dailystatesman.com.gh/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/IMG_4803-1.jpg)
Some parents and guardians in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis have expressed excitement over the re-opening of basic schools in the metropolis following ten months closure of such schools by the government to control spread of covid-19 amongst the children.
Some of them who spoke to the Daily Statesman said their wards had been home for far too long and therefore see the re-opening as a big relief.
The parents admitted that although their wards were attending private classes while at home, that wasn’t good enough for them.
Commendation
They have therefore commended President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for giving the greenlight for the re-opening of formal schools.
In appreciation of this directive, they have pledged to do everything possible in ensuring the safety of their wards, both at home and school, by providing them with the necessary Personal Protective Equipment such as nose masks, hand sanitizers, and encourage them to frequently wash their hands.
They have also appealed to teachers to play their parts by always ensuring that the children observe the social distancing in and out of the classroom.
Suggestion
Again, the parents have suggested that it will not be out of place if authorities at the various schools start running the shift system to decongest the classrooms.
They, however, said some of the public schools had still not received their PPEs, as promised by the government, and appealed to the Ghana Education Service to promptly act on it.
Reports indicate that some private school proprietors in the metropolis have increased their fees upon re-opening.
This, according to them, is to help defray cost of routine maintenance of their school premises during the closure period and also enable them pay salaries of teachers.
A primary one pupil in any Category ‘A’ private school in Sekondi-Takoradi is currently paying not less than GHC1,000 per semester.
This notwithstanding, the paper gathered that parents are still enrolling their wards in such schools.
Meanwhile, the medical director in-charge of Effia -Nkwanta Regional Hospital in Sekondi, Dr Joseph Kojo Tambil, is not happy with the increasing number of Covid-19 cases at the facility, and has stressed the need for strict adherence to the protocols.