Ms Golda Andam, Headmistress of the Swedru Secondary School (SWESCO) has appealed to parents to allow their final year and gold track students to go back to school without delay.

She said effective measures have been put in place by the government and school management to ensure thorough protection against the spread of COVID-19.

Out of the 1,535 final year and second-year gold track students expected, only 979 had reported when the GNA visited the school over the weekend.

She said more Thant 600 students were yet to report and assured parents and guardians that effective measures have been taken by the management of the school to avert infection of the virus.

Ms Andah told the GNA that the school has received Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) from the government and there was no cause for alarm concerning the safety of students.

She indicated that letting the final year students study at home could affect their performance and urged parents whose wards had not reported to rescind their decision.

The Headmistress said the school had already been disinfected by the government and other mechanisms put in place to ensure the safety of the students.

According to her, the school management had formed a COVID-19 taskforce being monitored by the Agona East Assembly COVID-19 team to ensure strict compliance of the safety protocols.

Ms Andam said the security personnel of the school have been properly trained by health experts to use the thermometer guns at the gate before students or visitors were allowed on campus.

She said the management had also distributed face masks to all students and made it mandatory to wear them while the classrooms, dining hall, and the dormitories have been decongested to keep students safe through social distancing.

The Headmistress stated that classes have started already and it would be difficult for students who have not reported to grasp what was being taught and renewed the appeal to parents and guardians to release their children to school.

Ms Andam said the only challenge facing the school at the moment was unapproved routes to the school and noted that unfortunately walls being built around the school were yet to be completed and called for support to finish it.

At Agona Namawura Community SHS in the Agona East District, the authorities of the school refused to speak to GNA.

Reverend Richard Koranteng Afari, headmaster of Nsaba Presbyterian Senior High School (SHS) told GNA that all items needed for the reopening of the school had been delivered by the government and distributed to students and staff.

Rev Afari added his voice to the clarion call on parents and guardians to allow their children to report to school.

The Headmaster said the students had been taken through counselling and prayers as part of efforts to offer them courage, hope, and trust to kill the fear and panic about the COVID-19 pandemic and write their examination in confidence.