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Welcome back to school, but keep safe!

The government has begun a phased-opening of educational institutions today, with the re-opening of universities for final year students, as well as final year students of other educational and training institutions, which are managed by ministries, other than the Ministry of Education.

This is to enable them to complete their lectures and write their exit examination, as announced by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in his last broadcast to the nation, on May 31, on the update of the coronavirus containment efforts.

Final year students of Senior High Schools (SHSs), including Gold Track and Junior High Schools (JHSs) will take their turn to return to schools, on June 22 and June 29 respectively, to continue classes towards writing their exit exams.

Other aspects of schooling will remain closed, till further notice as directed by the President in Executive Instrument 64, following the passage by Parliament of the Imposition of Restrictions, Act, 2020.

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Ghanaian Times is aware that the phased-opening of schools has been informed by empirical evidence, following a wide-range consultations by the President with stakeholders on “strategic, controlled, progressive, easing of restrictions”, imposed by the government as a part of measures to check the spread of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2) that is responsible for the deadly disease, coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 

The world is still grappling with the disease, and of course Ghana, is not out of the woods yet. We still have spikes in the communities across the country with the case load crossing the 11,000 mark, and so far 48 people have succumbed, albeit with pre-existing health conditions.

The country is recording recoveries, though slower than the infection rates, but we risk a second wave of the disease, if we let our guard down.

It’s in light of this that we welcome our final year students back on campus, with the call on them to cooperate with the school authorities and adhere strictly to the specific guidelines, including  social distancing arrangement and enhanced hygiene protocol to ensure safety on campus, to prevent further community spikes in infection. 

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We are certainly not in normal times, and we sympathise with the plight of students, given that online studies come with challenges and also there are some programmes that lectures must certainly be face-to-face.

Undoubtedly, the reopening of universities for the final year students to complete their programme will serve as litmus test on whether we can have our normal life back, with a complete lifting of ban on public gathering.

Indeed, the outcome of the re-reopening of universities will determine whether the government will go ahead to allow SHS and JHS final year students take their turn to go back to school to complete their academic programmes.

We recall what the President said in his last broadcast, as a gentle reminder “The introduction of this phased opening up of our country means that each and every one of us must continue to remain vigilant and respect the enhanced hygiene and social distancing protocols that have become part and parcel of our daily routine over the last three months. We can’t afford to let our guard down, and ruin the successes we have chalked over the years.”  

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A word to the wise is enough!

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GWL to embark on revenue mobilization in Northern, Savannah Regions from Nov 1 to Dec 31

The management of Ghana Water Limited (GWL) in the Northern and Savannah Regions has announced a revenue mobilization exercise aimed at retrieving outstanding arrears and addressing illegal connections.

The exercise, which will run from November 1 to December 31, 2024, seeks to detect self-reconnections and eliminate the unauthorized use of in-line booster pumps.

“The management of Ghana Water Limited (GWL) Northern/Savannah Regions, wishes to inform the public and its valued customers that it will embark on a revenue mobilization exercise in the Northern and Savannah Regions from 1st November to 31st December 2024.

“This exercise aims to retrieve all outstanding arrears owed by customers, identify and address illegal connections, detect self-reconnections, and eliminate the unauthorized use of in-line booster pumps,” GWL said in a statement.

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GWL urged all customers to promptly settle their arrears through its official online channels or at designated pay points across the two regions to avoid service disruptions.

Click here to read the statement by GWL

Read below the statement by GWL

Source: citinewsroom.com

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Election 2024: NMC to launch app to combat misinformation

The National Media Commission (NMC) says it is set to outdoor a media watch app to combat misinformation and disinformation ahead of the general elections.

According to the NMC, the initiative aims to enable journalists and citizens to capture real-time suspicious activities at polling stations for prompt action.

Speaking after a forum organised by the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG) on the theme “Moderating the Airwaves for Peaceful and Credible Elections 2024,” Executive Secretary for NMC, George Sarpong believes the initiative will be a crucial tool in promoting peaceful elections and enhancing the safety of journalists.

He explained that the app will be a game-changer that is expected to offer accurate information at various polling stations across Ghana.

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“This is going to be a game-changer in the sense that it is going to offer us very accurate information about what is happening around the country about the elections.

“And then in terms of the electoral results, if anybody who is at any polling station at the time we are declaring the results, films and submits this, the system can verify the authenticity of what has been submitted.

“We believe that if there is any dispute regarding any incident, this will offer very efficient evidence for anybody interested in understanding exactly what happened there and to address it.

Source: citinewsroom.com

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