The Education Ministry has announced the learning mediums it is going to use in educating pre-tertiary students as schools have been suspended amidst the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

Addressing the press on Tuesday, the Education Minister, Matthew Opoku Prempeh said for the distance learning to be successful, both new media and traditional media will be employed to disseminate educational contents to students.

“If we [MoE] decide that we are going to do only online, I am sure we [MoE] are going to take a chunk of our population who do not have access to the internet out of the system.

“So we have to have programmes that will play on the television, radio and online,” he stated.

The Minister, however, said the agreed arrangement will require the help of the Communications Ministry and Information Ministry.

According to Mr Opoku Prempeh, the Communication Minister should engage telecommunication companies to zero-rate educational materials. 

This, he believes can permit students who have access to the internet but are financially handicapped use the platform.

He also requested the Information Minister to speak the traditional media channels to provide air time for educational courses for students who are unable to access the internet.

“We are in difficult and dangerous times, and we all must chip in his or her quota,” he urged.

The Minister further acknowledged that some television stations have offered 24-hours non-stop broadcast of educational content but called for more.

“We need it on free-to-air broadcast so that everybody no matter where they are can have access to it. So we implore radio and television stations to help as much as they can.”

On March 15, President Nana Akufo-Addo in a televised address to the nation suspended the operations of all schools both tertiary and pre-tertiary institutions in the country. 

He further directed the Education Ministry and Ghana Education Service to find other alternatives to continue classes without the endangering the lives of students.