The Ghana Education Service (GES) has directed all students in Senior High and Technical Schools to observe the mid-term break on campus. This, according to GES is in line with Covid-19 safety protocols.

GES initially issued a directive for schools to break for mid-term on Tuesday, July 20, 2021, and resume on July 25, 2021, but in a subsequent circular, dated Monday July 19, the GES explained that, "in reference to a letter from the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, which cautions against the mass movement of students, due to recent outbreak of Covid-19," no student should be allowed to go home.

“Management of the Ghana Education Service (GES), therefore, wishes to inform Heads of Senior High and Technical Schools that students are not to be allowed to go home during the mid-semester period," the statement issued by the Deputy Director-General (Quality and Access), Dr KwabenaTandoh, said.

"Mid Semester break should be observed in schools with no academic activity. Academic work should resume on Monday, July 26, 2021, as earlier communicated,” it added.

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) letter, based on which the GES issued the directive, was signed by its Director-General, Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye on Monday, July 19, 2021. The statement explained that the mid-term break may present a challenge to the already precarious situation of Covid-19 in schools and in the general population.

"It may also present challenges to containing existing outbreaks in schools. Heads of the aforementioned institutions as well as students are therefore expected to comply with the directive," the GHS statement emphasised.

Speaking on Joy FM's Topstory on Monday, Dr KwabenaTandoh lauded the directive by GHS stating that, the decision to keep final year students in the schools will mitigate community spread of the virus.

“Concerns were raised that when you have mass movement of people from one place to the other, you may have challenges in transmission of the covid-19 disease and so it will be better and safer and healthier for everybody.”
He further added that despite the GHS directive, students will be made to observe the mid-semester break.

“The idea of Mid-semester break is not necessarily even for students to go home but to get break from the regular day to day rigour of academic work and to rest and so we are still observing that mid-semester break but we are observing it within the confines of the directives by the Ghana Health Service in order not to aggravate the situation in the country," he said.