[ad_1]
Ghana National Teachers Association (GNAT) Secretary General Thomas Musah has said that the reopening of schools in January is a step in the right direction.
According to him, the association fully supports the president’s decision, as there is no better time than the established month.
“Going to school in January is one of the things that we think has come at the right time.”
On Sunday, President Akufo-Addo, in his 21st update on measures aimed at easing Covid-19 restrictions, announced that all students from kindergarten through high school level will return to school on January 15.
Following the outbreak of the new coronavirus in the country, schools were closed in March 2020, among other measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
Little by little, the president announced the relaxation of the restrictions, leaving aside the reopening of Kindergarten to Junior High Schools in the country, which has lasted about ten months.
Speaking on PM Express with Evans Mensah at JoyNews On Monday, the GNAT Secretary General said that most of the children may have forgotten everything they learned in school as a result of the long stay at home.
“So we already have some kind of learning deficit to cover,” he said.
He said that while school closings are necessary to help reduce the spread of the virus, there is a need to reopen schools to avoid further delays in education.
“What is going to happen is that instead of them going to school at four years old, we will have children who go to school at 5 and 6 years old”
“And concept learning is best done at an earlier stage, like age 4, as it has been our educational age to go to school than anything else,” he added.
Musah further noted that the closure of schools caused by COVID-19 has also increased teenage pregnancies in the country.
“In one of the districts, between March and May 2020, we have 51 pregnant girls.”
He also hinted that his observation of the Ghana Life Survey in 2014/15 indicates that the country could also face another challenge from child labor.
“They tell us that out of every five children they see, one is in child labor.
“We are talking about 21.8 percent of the children being in child labor and that is also worrying.”
