MoE breaks silence on basic schools reopening date postponement

The Ministry of Education (MoE) has described as false a report indicating the reopening date for students in government basic schools to begin the second term of this academic year has been extended by a week.

“Very diabolical news item. In a country where some people do not read beyond headlines will presume the Ministry of Education (MoE) Ghana has rather postponed reopening for basic schools,” a spokesman for the Ministry said in a post.

The Public Relations Officer’s comment comes after a Ghanaian website reported that the Ministry of Education thus referring to Kenya’s Ministry of Education has postponed the reopening date for basic schools by one week.

Basic schools in Kenya were scheduled to reopen on April 29, 2024, but their Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu in a press statement said schools will reopen on May 6, 2024, due to heavy rainfall in the country.

The Education Cabinet Secretary said that reports streaming in from various regions underscored the widespread disruption caused by the ongoing downpours, compelling the Ministry of Education to reassess its reopening plans.

Machogu expressing worry over the heavy rains sweeping across the nation said the Ministry, in its proactive stance, has been rigorously evaluating the readiness of Basic Education Learning Institutions for the impending term.

He expressed grave concerns over the severity of the damage inflicted by the rains on numerous schools, deeming it imprudent to jeopardize the safety of both learners and staff without implementing stringent precautionary measures.

“The devastating effects of the rains in some of the schools are so severe that it will be imprudent to risk the lives of learners and staff before water-tight measures are put in place to ensure adequate safety for all affected school communities

Consequently, the Ministry of Education has resolved to defer the reopening of all primary and secondary schools by one week, effectively shifting the date to Monday, May 6, 2024. Machogu assured stakeholders of the Ministry’s commitment to collaborating with relevant bodies to tackle the challenges posed by the inclement weather,” he said.

The Cabinet Secretary, Ezekiel Machogu has assured the nation that the Ministry in Charge of Education will provide updates on measures being taken to mitigate the impact of the rains and aid recovery efforts at affected schools.