The Ministry of Education (MoE) through its acting Minister, Francis Duopoe has said that the MoE program dubbed “Teaching by Radio” that was launched by the Ministry intended to abreast students with their lessons at home have been suspended to enable teachers focus on the 12th graders for their pending national exam.
Speaking in an interview with journalists at the Tubman High Institution, Mr. Duopoe who is also the acting education minister said that the program will also give the Ministry ample time to prepare for the reopening of schools for elementary, junior and senior high schools respectively based on health authorities advice.
He then urged various institutions to ensure that students, parents, teachers and support staff adhere to various health measures instituted by the MoH for the well-being and safety of all students.
Meanwhile, several twelfth graders across Montserrado and its environs on Monday, June 29, 2020 resumed classes in adherence to President Weah’s mandate for the resumption of classes aimed at preparing them for the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) to be administered maid-August of this year.
The resumption of classes for twelfth graders came after schools were suspended by the Ministry of Education (MoE) due to the rapid spread of the global Coronavirus pandemic.
Several school campuses visited by our reporter during the early morning hours of Monday said that students from various schools were seen well uniformed and in jubilant mood as they made their way to their respective classes.
According to our reporter, it was also observed that students, upon before entering their classes were made to wash their hands and wear their face masks at their respective school campus gates.
Our reporter added that students were also seen sitting two feet apart from each other as means of observing social distancing, alluding that school administrators also ensure the seating capacity of 20 to 30 students per class.
During the tour, the Paynesville Seventh Day Adventist High School (PSDA) principal, Dickson K. Yorkor said that he was impressed and encouraged by the government to allow the 12th graders back to school in preparing them for the WASSCE, stating that the decision is in the interest of the educational system of the country.
He urged students, parents, school administrators and visitors to constantly adhere to the health protocols by washing their hands and wear face masks and observe the social distancing before entering into their vicinities due to his institution’s participation in the government’s one week orientation.
Mr. Yorkor then lauded the government for their farsightedness for the resumption of schools for 12th graders, while at the same time urged the government to provide some subsidies/hygienic materials to enable various schools enforce health authorities, measures for the well-being and safety of students.
Several students, Telvin Z. Howard of the Effort Baptist School, Joseph Weah Sieh of the Paynesville Community High School and Elijah Seasaw of the PSDA speaking to our reporter lauded the government for the reopening of their various institutions, stating that the government’s decision was timely and in their interest ahead of the WASSCE.