<<Print>>

The Takoradi Technical University (TTU) in the Western Region on Monday, reopened for final year students to prepare towards their exit examinations as directed by the President that all tertiary institutions, both private and public should reopen on June 15.

The move is for finalists to complete their courses as part of the gradual easing of the COVID-19 restrictions.

Classes are being held in both the main campus and the Business School campus at BU a suburb of Takoradi, while parts of the campuses that were in bad shape had undergone maintenance.

TTU has instituted a COVID-19 Task Force known as “Dr. Emefa’s Committee” to be in charge of education, provision of logistics, and everything about the novel coronavirus disease, whereas security has been beefed up at the entrances to ensure that no one entered the campuses without thorough screening.

Large classes comprising a hundred students have been divided into two to keep to the social distancing protocol, with the University clinic equipped with the necessary PPE with isolation centre to deal with any positive cases.

About 4,700 staff and students are supposed to benefit from the logistics, comprising 4,000 students and 700 teaching and non-teaching staff.

The President in his 11th address to the nation on the pandemic and containment measures, said "it was imperative to find a way of guaranteeing the prospects of the generation of young people who were the objects of education today, and who represented the nation’s future".

The President announced the indefinite closure of all schools, effective Monday, March 16, as part of the COVID-19 containment measures. The final year students would be in school for six weeks.

When the Ghana News Agency visited the Takoradi Technical University, Veronica buckets filled with water for washing of hands with soap, hand sanitizers, infrared thermometers for temperature checks and info graphical materials with messages on COVID-19 had been placed at vantage points.

Mr. Moses Maclean Abnory, Registrar of TTU in an interview with the GNA hinted that the campuses of the University have been disinfected twice, before and after the President’s directives on the reopening.

“At the hostels, the majority of the students left their luggage during the break so we have called them to come for them to create enough space for the final year students. As of now, about half of the final year students have reported”, he stated.

He said the University has taken delivery of over 13,000 PPE including hand sanitizers, Veronica buckets, nose masks, and all that were needed while lecture theaters and the library have been disinfected for use.

He pointed out that the University through its Fashion Department produced 10,000 units of reusable face masks and distributed them to all staff and some communities around the University while some individuals also donated some items to them.

He indicated that all front line workers like security personnel, cleaners, administrators, lecturers, and students have been trained by the Emefa’s Committee in collaboration with health personnel from the Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipal Assembly (EKMA) and the University Clinic on how to detect a person with symptoms and signs of the disease to avoid contact and how to protect themselves from getting infected.

Mr. Abnory assured parents of the safety of their wards while on campus and called on them to advise their wards to be obedient to all the precautionary measures and all the facilities provided for a mutual benefit.

He expressed the hope that nothing untoward would happen since adequate measures have been put in place to protect lives and to stem the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic but warned that recalcitrant students and visitors who flout the measures would be handed over to the police.

He pleaded with members of the public to limit visits to the campus if not in for an important assignment and do well to comply with all the measures in place at the entrances before entering.

Mr Abnory further called on parents, companies, individuals and all stakeholders who have the resources to share with the University to help fight the pandemic.

Some students who had reported on campus to complete the 2019/2020 academic year who spoke to the GNA commended the Government for the decision and hailed the authorities of the University for ensuring the strict application of the protocols and the guidelines for containing the disease.