President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo- Addo has announced that, government will continue to absorb the electricity and water bills from January to March as part of the continuous provisions of relief to Ghanaians due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
In his 21st update on measures taken against the spread of coronavirus, he revealed that, government intends to support the vulnerable in the society by continuing with these relief measures.
“However, with the continuing difficulties occasioned by the pandemic, I want to state that Government intends to continue to support the most vulnerable in our society. Government will, thus, continue to pay the electricity bills for our nation’s one million active lifeline customers for the next three months, that is January, February and March.”
Additionally, all one million, five hundred thousand customers of the Ghana Water Company, whose water consumption is not more than five cubic metres a month, will not pay any bills for the next three months, that is for the months of January, February and March. This relief package will be reviewed at the end of March.
Touching on education, he intimated that, primary, secondary and tertiary students are set to return to school to commence academic activities from 9th January to the 18th of January.
Nana Akufo-Addo also announced that, both private and public students from kindergarten through to Junior High School will resume from 15th, with the exception of SHS one students who will start on the 10th of March, 2020 and tertiary students commencing on the 9th of January.
He also revealed that SHS three and one students will be embarking on a single-track academic calendar.
“I must stress that, SHS 3 students in all schools, like SHS 1 students, will no longer run the double track system. The expansion of infrastructure at the various senior high schools, over the last three years, has brought us to this favorable situation.
“However, the double-track system will still be applicable to SHS 2 students in schools that are employing it. Students in universities and other tertiary institutions are to be in school from Saturday, 9th January.”
He further noted that, prior to their return to school, Government, through the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service, will ensure that all institutions; public and private, are fumigated and disinfected adding that, schools and institutions, with their own hospitals and clinics, will be equipped with the necessary personal protective equipment, and have isolation centers to deal with any positive cases.
“All other schools and institutions, without their own clinics and hospitals, have been mapped to health facilities. There will be, for now, no mass gatherings and no sporting activities. However, religious activities for students at school, under the new protocols, will be permitted. Social distancing and the wearing of face masks must become the norm in our schools.”
He added that, to facilitate the safety of students, Government, through the Ministry of Education, will provide face masks, ‘Veronica’ buckets, hand sanitizers, liquid soap, rolls of tissue paper and thermometer guns for the safe re-opening of the schools.
He also disclosed that, the Ministry of Information, the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Health Service, and the Ghana Education Service will from Monday, 4th January, commence a series of sensitization campaigns to help prepare, inform and educate guardians, students, and the public on further modalities associated with the re-openings.
