First-year Senior High School (SHS) students Thursday reported to school to begin the 2021/22 academic year.

A visit by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) to the St Thomas Aquinas SHS and Accra High School saw the ‘freshers’ going through the registration process.

Mr Paul K. Amoasi Baidoo, the Headmaster of St Thomas Aquinas School, said the school was expecting to receive 1,270 first year students to be enrolled under the double-track system.

He said government, through the Free SHS Policy, had taken a lot of financial burden off the shoulders of parents and guardians, hence they should help provide the additional academic needs of their children, including elective textbooks, to enhance their studies.

Mr Baidoo said even though government provided one hot meal a day for all students, parents should give their children extra money to support their feeding throughout the day.

“Students report to school as early as 0700 hours, whereas the hot meal is served between 1100 hours and 1300 hours. This means students will have to stay on a single meal till school closes at 1600 hours if such additional financial support is not available,” he said.

Reverend Mrs Lydia Anim-Nketia, the Headmistress of Accra High School, said the School was ready to absorb 1,802 new students of which about 700 had reported.

She urged parents of students who were yet to receive their placements to be patient as government would absorb all students.

She said parents had a significant role to play in the academic life of their children and should not abandon their responsibilities.

Rev. Anim-Nkatia advised the new entrants to take their studies seriously and make themselves, their family and nation proud for the investments made in them.

She said the School had taken stock of enough Covid-19 Personal Protective Equipment for onward distribution to students to ensure their safety.