The Minority in Parliament is mounting pressure on government to shut all senior high school (SHS) across the country following recorded cases of COVID-19 in some schools.

According to the Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Committee on Education, Dr Clement Apaak, students, teachers and staff of the various SHS are currently living in fears over the Covid-19 infections.

The call follows the confirmation by the Ghana Health Service and Ghana Education Service that a total of six students, a teacher and spouse in the Accra Girls’ Senior High School have tested positive for Covid-19 and the death of a student of KNUST Senior High School in the Ashanti Region.

Following the confirmation, some parents and guardians stormed the Accra Girls SHS to remove their wards from the school after over fear of Covid-19 infections.

But speaking to Joy News on the back of the agitations and alleged non-compliance with Covid-19 protocols, the Builsa South MP said the only solution to prevent wider spread of the virus among students is closure of the schools.

“Government is refusing to listen to common firm arguments that is in the interest of protecting our future leaders.

“Now that we know that some campuses have recorded cases of Covid-19, it is right for government to shut down the schools,” he stressed.

He also entreated government to postpone the writing of exams for all final year students to 2021 as adopted by some countries within the sub-region to curtail spread of the virus.

“Government opened schools for the students to prepare for the their exams, and even at the time the cases count was a little over 12,000 now we have over 21,000 cases count, for this we [Minority] believe, parents believe and teacher unions believe that the motive for which schools were reopened cannot be achieved.

“First of all students are not in the right frame of mind, parents are anxious and teachers are fearful. How then can the students study and prepare adequately for the examination?” he quizzed.

Dr Clement Apaak also called on government to undertake mass testing of students and teachers before they reunite with their families at home.