The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has taken its sensitization drive to three second cycle schools in the Bawku Municipal, Upper East Region, as part of efforts to ensure compliance and adherence to the COVID-19 safety protocols among students.

The initiative was to educate the final year students and the second year gold track students who returned to school to prepare for their exit examination, as well as staff to observe the set out measures to ensure that they were safe from contracting the coronavirus disease.

The schools visited included, the Bawku Senior High, Bawku Senior High Technical and Bawku Technical Institute.

Addressing the staff and students at the various schools, Mr Daniel Baya Laar, the Bawku Municipal Director of the Commission said the COVID-19 was real and that measures that have been prescribed by the government and health experts must be strictly adhered to, to help curb the spread of the virus.

He said regular hand washing with soap under running water, use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers and wearing of nose masks as well as ensuring social and physical distancing were some of the laid out protocols to prevent the spread of the virus.

“Wear a nose mask at all times to protect yourself and your colleagues from the virus, rub your hands with alcohol-based hand sanitizer in the absence of soap and water for hand wash,” he added.

The Municipal Director advised the students to avoid using the items of their colleagues, such as mattresses, nose masks and other personal items to avoid the risks of being infected with the virus.

He urged the students to strictly adhere to the protocols in order to ensure that they stayed safe in school.

“This is the only way to protect yourself, teachers and colleagues around you in this new era that we have found ourselves in.”

While cautioning students not to touch their colleagues who show signs of the virus, Mr Laar urged them to desist from stigmatizing infected persons as well as persons who have recovered from the virus.

He explained that stigmatization hindered the fight against the spread of the virus as people who show signs of the disease may not go for health check-up due to the fear of being stigmatized.

He further advised the students to report to their schools’ authorities whenever they were sick, for the necessary attention to be given them.

Management of the schools expressed gratitude to NCCE for educating both the staff and students on the safety protocols and said it would go a long way to ensure compliance and adherence.

Mr Sylvester Agalga, the Headmaster of Bawku Senior High School noted that the school had made daily temperature check on students and staff a rule and had made available a temporal room as an isolation centre for any student who shows signs of the virus.

All the schools have put in place safety protocols particularly hygiene materials such as veronica buckets, soap, tissue and hand sanitizers for both teachers and students to use.