Government has absorbed this year’s examination fees of all Senior High School (SHS) final year students.
Announcing the decision on Sunday evening during a national broadcast as part of measures to ease restrictions on the coronavirus pandemic, President Akufo-Addo said “for the first time in our nation’s history, government will absorb the WASSCE examination fees of the 313,837 SHS final year students who will sit for the exam. GH¢75.4 million will be spent on this.”
These final year students, also referred to by some as the ‘Akufo-Addo graduates’, are the first group of beneficiaries of the NPP government’s Free Senior High School policy to sit the WASSCE exams.
This is intended to provide some form of relieve to parents and guardians on their wards exams fees due to the biting effect of the pandemic.
The President has assured parents and guardians of his government’s determination to protect the lives of the 800,000 students, teachers and non-teaching staff, who started returning to school from yesterday, saying “I will be the last person to put the lives of the ‘Akufo-Addo graduates’ at risk.”
He, however, asked that they all adhered strictly to enhanced personal hygiene and social distancing protocols, regularly wash their hands with soap under running water, refrain from shaking hands and wear masks to protect themselves and others.
Like their seniors at the university, the SHS final year students will be in school for a total of six weeks before sitting for the WASSCE exams, which is over a period of two weeks.
SHS 2 Gold Track students, who are returning to complete their first semester like their Green Track colleagues have done, are also expected to be in school for six weeks before going on vacation.
This is what made government to fumigate and disinfect all 1,167 Senior High Schools in the country.
Each student, teaching and non-teaching staff, invigilator and school administrator—numbering some 800,000, are expected to be provided with three pieces of reusable face masks; two being provided yesterday and the third within a fortnight. Nonetheless, President Akufo-Addo has asked parents to provide their wards and children with at least a face covering on their way to school.
A total of 18,000 Veronica Buckets, 800,000 pieces of 200ml sanitizers, 36,000 rolls of tissue paper, 36,000 gallons of liquid soap and 7,200 thermometre guns have already been distributed.
The President has also directed that a maximum of 25 students will be permitted in each class, while all day students in schools with boarding houses will be resident in these boarding houses; and day students, in schools without boarding facilities, will commute from home and will be required to adhere to enhanced hygiene protocols; eating in dining halls will be in appropriate numbers; and no visitors to the schools will be allowed.
Apart from that, there will be no mass gatherings and no sporting activities while religious activities, under the new protocols, will be permitted and social distancing and the wearing of face masks obligatory in schools.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent