Heads of schools in the Upper West Region are ready to follow the directive to reopen schools as announced by President Akufo-Addo.

The heads are committed to ensuring security and prevent overcrowding of classrooms to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The headmasters made this known at a meeting organised by the Upper West Regional Coordinating Council to brainstorm on the best strategies or modalities to put in place for the reopening of schools to enable final year students be prepared for their examinations.

According to them, they are poised to adhere to the social distancing and other protocols advised by experts during the period.

Though they have agreed to reopen second cycle and junior high schools for final year and golden track students, the heads of the schools have outlined a plethora of challenges they would want addressed as they return.

Key among them is security, students’ discipline, and inadequate food at their stores and overcrowding at the schools. School authorities would want to have full control without any interference.

Educational institutions in the country were forced to close down following the confirmation of the first cases of Covid-19 in the country on March 12.

The meeting brought together Municipal District Chief Executives, Municipal and District Directors of Education, headmasters/headmistresses of second cycle institutions and proprietors of private schools in the region.

Upper West Regional Minister, Dr. Hafiz Bin Salih disclosed that confirmed cases of Covid-19 cases in the Upper West Region remain 22 out of which 21 have fully recovered leaving one person at the Wa Municipal Hospital treatment center whose samples has been sent awaiting results. The region has not recorded any death so far.

It was also discussed that before the school reopens, waste management company Zoomlion Ghana Limited in the next couple of days would be disinfecting and fumigating 804 public and private basic schools in the region.

According to company's manager in the region, Emmanuel Vulsuuri, 850 sprayers will also be deployed throughout the region for the exercise.