Coronavirus: Online platforms being made available for students – Education Minister

The Minister of Education, Matthew Opoku Prempeh has indicated that plans are far advanced to make platforms available for students to acquire knowledge despite the closure of schools in the country.

Opoku Prempeh made this known when he addressed the media on Tuesday.

“After the president’s directive, UNESCO got in touch with us so that Ghana can take part in the online learning through social media, traditional media broadcast so education can continue because UNESCO had anticipated there was going to be a break in education all around the world. In the media, WAEC announced that the exams have been postponed. So we recalled the final year students’ home.”

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo directed schools in the country to shut down effective Monday, March 16, 2020.

The President gave the order when he addressed the nation on Sunday, March 15, 2020.

“All Universities, Senior High Schools, and basic schools, i.e. public and private schools, will be closed Monday, 16th March 2020, till further notice. The Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the Ministry of Communication, has been tasked to roll out distance learning programmes,” he said.

The Minister of Education stressed that the closure of schools is for both public and private-owned institutions and any head of an institution who assemble students would have himself or herself to blame.

“I must emphasize that the school closure, is a total closure for both public and private schools of all schools within the country. Any head of an institution that attempts to keep students in school does so at his or her own risks. If we care to know all international exams even in their parent countries have been postponed so there is absolutely no reason to keep students in school. In the meantime, a team has been tasked to ensure that we can continue education through traditional media and social media.”

Confirmed cases of coronavirus in Ghana

As at yesterday, Monday, March 23, 2020, Ghana had a total of 27 cases with two deaths but 25 new cases have been confirmed of Coronavirus in the country.

This brings to total, 52, the number of cases confirmed in the country with two deaths recorded.

The 25 new cases were confirmed among the 1,030 people who are under mandatory quarantine in the country after arriving at the Kotoka International Airport hours to the deadline for the closure of the country’s borders.

The Minister of Health, Kweku Agyeman-Manu who made the announcement on Tuesday, said other persons in mandatory quarantine are yet to be tested.

“Out of the 185 test results received, we have 25 of those quarantined tested positive. If we add on to the earlier number of 27, it means we have 52 people testing positive in our country at the moment,” the minister said.

He said the 25 new patients have been handed over to the case management team and are being sent to various isolation centres for treatment.