CHASS calls on government to address challenges ahead of reopening for SHS first years

The Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary School (CHASS) has appealed to government to address infrastructural challenges facing some Senior High Schools ahead of school reopening for first-year students.

First-year SHS students are to report to school on Thursday, March 18, 2021.

The Ghana Education Service (GES) last week rescheduled the reopening of schools for such students to March 18 from the initial March 10, 2021 date.

The GES explained in a statement that this was “to enable the students and parents to have ample time to prepare for school and School Management to also prepare to receive them”.

“Management has also noted that some students have not yet enrolled and the extension will give these students the opportunity to do so as well,” the statement added.

Speaking to Citi News, President of CHASS Alhaji Yacoub A.B. Abubakar said government must also make available personal protective equipment for the students before schools reopen on Thursday.

According to him, they (CHASS) have their part to play and are ready for the students.

However, the government must also play its part to enable them to receive the students smoothly.

Mr. Abubakar specifically mentioned furniture, nose mask, Veronica buckets and sanitisers to be supplied by government.

As at the time of the interview, he insisted that those haven’t been supplied yet.

“In terms of preparation, we can look at it from two angles. That’s our internal preparations and with that I will tell you that to a large extent are ready to receive the first years when they begin reporting from Thursday. We have put in place our dormitories, our classrooms and generally the schools are in order to receive them. But we are having some few challenges in terms of furniture and others which we have drawn the attention of authorities to it.”

“We think if those issues are addressed, it will make our preparedness far better than what we have now. Similarly, we are also still in COVID-19 and with the freshers coming, there is also the need for the observance of the protocols. Here, I’m talking about the distribution of nose mask, Veronica buckets and sanitisers and they are to come from government and they haven’t come yet.”

Source: Citinewsroom.com