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Reverend Robert Seddoh, Chairman for the Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS) in the South Tongu District of the Volta Region has said it would be difficult for private schools in the District to reopen for final year students to prepare for their final examinations.

He said almost all 42 private schools in the District needed to be assisted financially to pay the three months salary arrears owed to staff and also put COVID-19 precautionary measures in place before reopening.

Rev. Seddoh in an interview with the Ghana News Agency said their teachers insisted that until salary arrears were paid and COVID-19 preventive measures put in place, it would be difficult for them to return to school.

He noted that most students in the District were helping their parents in the market during the closure of schools, exposing themselves to the virus and that, “we have to rethink how we run our dormitory and the canteen system in the various schools before reopening.”

Rev. Seddoh said, “We expect the Government to direct some stimulus package for small scale industries to us so that we can pay our teachers and also make the school environment ready to get the final year students back to school.”

He said Government also needed to honour its promise of fumigating schools and also provide nose masks for teachers.

The South Tongu GNAPS Chairman also sent a distress call to other stakeholders to support private schools in the wake of COVID-19.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo -Addo, in his 10th address to update citizens on the enhanced national response to the COVID-19 pandemic on Sunday, 31st May, announced the partial reopening of schools for finalists from basic to tertiary levels to enable them to complete their programmes.

“Final-year university students are to report to their universities on 15th June, final-year senior high school students, together with senior high school 2 Gold Track students, on 22 June; and final-year junior high school students on 29 June,” the President said.