Thousands of children in face masks flocked back to school in Ivory Coast on Monday after the country became one of the first in West Africa to restart lessons after a two-month coronavirus shutdown.
With a total of 2,376 cases and dozens of new infections each day, Ivory Coast has yet to contain the virus. But authorities are confident pupils can study together in safety after the introduction of extra hygiene measures.
In Abidjan’s Adjame neighbourhood, children in backpacks queued to wash their hands under a teacher’s watchful eye before entering their school, where they sat just one to a desk with bottles of sanitising gel within reach.
“At first we were a little scared. When we saw that the protective measures were being respected, the fear went away,” said 14-year-old Samira Cisse.
Nearby countries are likely to follow closely whether the Ivory Coast’s decision to reopen schools causes a spike in infection. With millions of children still at home, aid agency Save the Children says many could face serious setbacks due to limited options for distance learning in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Ivorian education ministry told Reuters it appreciated the seriousness of its decision.
“We also have an imperative duty to ensure that the children entrusted to us can complete their education,” said ministry official Assoumou Kabran.
Reopening classrooms also means thousands of pupils and their teachers must be ferried back to boarding schools outside Abidjan, epicentre of the epidemic.
French teacher Patrick Yobouet, 38, waited with hundreds of others in a sun-baked stadium to board buses out of the city.
“We’re a bit worried as we leave, because we don’t know if we have the coronavirus or not or if the children are contaminated or not,” he said.
Latest Stories
-
You are a son of Gonjaland and you have my blessing to be president – Gonja King to Bawumia
11 mins -
Market sentiments contributing to cedi depreciation – Lord Mensah
15 mins -
Ghanaian film maker wins best unscripted series in AMVC
49 mins -
Blame Parliament for SALL disenfranchisement, not EC – Bossman Asare tells IMANI Africa
1 hour -
Inflation to decline much faster in May 2024 – Report
1 hour -
Slovak PM Robert Fico carried to car after being shot
2 hours -
We need stakeholder engagement, not firefighting approach – CDD-Ghana fellow tells government
2 hours -
Fitch revises outlook on Zenith, Access, 3 others to positive
2 hours -
WAFU B U-17 Cup of Nations: Black Starlets thump Côte d’Ivoire in Group A opener
2 hours -
AngloGold Ashanti delivers steady start to 2024; Gold production up +2% year-on-year
2 hours -
Fidelity Bank joins forces with Proxtera to empower Ghana’s SMEs on GIFE Platform
2 hours -
Five men accused of murdering South African rapper AKA denied bail
2 hours -
GH Queens reality show secures win for Ghana at AMVCA 2024
2 hours -
Over 400 Deloitte Ghana staff mark ‘Volunteer Day’ to impact about 12,000 school children
2 hours -
ECG commences skills development programme to address unemployment
2 hours