March 30, 2021
By Ilyasa Baa
Easter vacation has been cut short so that pupils will have more time to prepare for exams, according to a press release from the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education.
The release notes that the decision to cut short the Easter holidays is as a result of the COVID pandemic which influenced the academic year.
Dept. Director of Education, Frances has explained that the Ministry wants to ensure that teachers get more time to cover the syllabuses before the commencement of public exams, NPSE being on the frontline slated for May 14. She said teachers are expected to utilize the time to be regained to ensure that what they supposed to teach is being exhausted. She expressed that pupils will be better prepared as well as their teachers if they use the time the Ministry has provided to their advantage. She admonished school authorities, parents and guardians to cooperate by ensuring that pupils attend school regularly.
Pupils in the Western Rural District have expressed their dissatisfaction over the Ministry’s decision to shorten Easter vacation. Expressing his dissatisfaction over the press release, some pupils who pleaded for anonymity informed A-Z that their plan was to hang out for recreational purposes visiting the pools to enjoy themselves now that there is no curfew or public health emergency.
A teacher in Bradford, Peter Bendu said the press release is highly welcome noting that they have nothing to say as teachers but to abide what comes from the Ministry. He lamented that the COVID impacted the academic year in a way that more time is needed for them to finish the entire syllabus. He called on his colleagues to comply with the Ministry’s call since the country is competing with other Africa countries in so far as public exams are concerned.