Universities in the country opened yesterday to enable final year students to complete their education as part of measures of the gradual easing of COVID-19 restrictions. To this end, government is to make available Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and other logistics to the 234 universities in the country.
We learn that to forestall any eventuality, over 1,700 veronica buckets, over 200,000 two hundred ML units of hand sanitizers, and over 3,400 packets of soap and another 3,400 packets of tissue are to be distributed.
Also, 900 thermometers are being spread across the universities to ensure students are regularly monitored to avoid any surge among the student population.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Sunday delivered his 11th address to the nation to update the citizenry on the gradual easing of the restrictions and stated that because of the pandemic, we cannot say we no longer are interested in issues of social justice, such as education and health.
“We, therefore, have to find a way of guaranteeing the prospects of the generation of young people who are the objects of education today, and who represent our future”.
It is relieving to hear that universities with their own hospitals and clinics, have been equipped with the necessary personal protective equipment, and have isolation centres to deal with any positive cases.
Education, as the President indicated, is the key to the future of our country. It is worthy of note that the President indicated that we cannot afford to let the pandemic undermine our chances for survival and progress.
The tertiary institutions have been properly fumigated by Zoomlion and to ensure the safety of the final year students, there will be no mass gatherings and no sporting activities. However, religious activities, under the new protocols, will be permitted the President intimated.
“Our intention is to secure the lives of the nearly two hundred thousand (200,000) students, lecturers and non-teaching staff, who will be returning to campus”, President Akufo-Addo told the nation Sunday night.
The phased approach shows that Government is critically monitoring the situation before gradually easing some of the restrictions since it is now quite evident that the virus we be with us longer than we expect.
Life must go on, albeit with observing the prescribed health protocols, so that we do not end up seeing a second wave of COVID-19 infections. Much as some would have their reservations, we also cannot jeopardize the future of the students by post-ponding their studies indefinitely.
