Correspondence from Upper West:

The Municipal Health and Education Directorates of the Sissala East Municipality on Tuesday, January 19, 2021, jointly schooled pupils across some Basic schools on the Coronavirus safety measures.

This was done concurrently marking My First Day at School to welcome the pupils back to school.

The team comprising the Municipal Chief Executive(MCE), Hon. Karim Nanyua; the Municipal Education Director, Mr. Robert Damah and a representative of the Municipal Health Directorate, Mr. Baah Kunkpe visited about 7 Basic schools with another set of teams dispatched to visit other schools in the Constituency.

The schools visited included: Bichemboi Basic, Fachoboi Basic, Nabulo Basic, Gwosi Lower and Upper Basics, Santijan Basic schools among others.

Giving his keynote address during the visits the MCE, Hon. Karim Nanyua has urged the pupils to take their academic work seriously due to the long COVID-19 break.

He also urged the elderly pupils to support their siblings in the Kindergarten whose Day was marked today dubbed: "My First Day at School".

The MCE has also urged them to take the coronavirus safety protocols seriously to avoid been victimized.

He added that, from next week government would, under the school feeding program begin cooking for them while in school.

Hon. Karim Nanyua, however, descended on parents found of blaming COVID-19 for marrying off their female pupils to men. He has therefore charged parents to take responsibility over their children particularly the girl child and look out for their welfare and eschew hiding behind the pandemic complaining of their children getting pregnant and been married off.

On his part, the Municipal Education Director Mr Robert Damah has lamented the long stay of the pupils due to the COVID-19 pandemic but has entreated the pupils to avoid truancy while urging teachers to work extra hard in their academic work.

Also commenting on low turnouts of pupils at some schools, he urged parents to allow their wards who are either home or have traveled to come back to school to continue with their academic work.

On COVID-19 safety measures, Mr. Baah Kunkpe took the pupils through step by step measures they should be observing daily not to contract the deadly disease.

He entreated them to always wear their face masks, wash their hands with soap under running water, keep social distancing, coughing and sneezing unto their elbows whenever they want to cough or sneeze.