Some teacher Unions in the country have asked government to shut down schools to curb the spread of the COVID-19. According to a joint statement issued in Accra yesterday by the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana (CCT-GH), the conditions and protocols which were to ensure the safety of teachers and students in the wake of the disease at the schools are either limited or just not there.
It said although conditions upon which the decision to re-open schools looked formidable and assuring, the teacher unions are disappointed with the aftermath which has resulted in the rise of confirmed cases in schools. It said Ghana should learn from the experience of Israel which closed down schools due to the spread of the disease when they re-opened adding that Ghana can also do it and do so expeditiously.
The unions argued that the decision of the Electoral Commission (EC) to extend the voter registration exercise to campuses to register students was a breach of the COVID-19 protocols which would lead to more infections.
The statement wondered why government would expose students to the disease when critical state institutions including the Ministry of finance, Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation, Ghana Grid Company Limited and Ghana Cocoa Board among others, have been shut down or are operating partially.
