“I missed a lot about school especially with my students” Marriama, a teacher
Musah Mariama, a 38-year old teacher at Keche RC Primary School for the past 8 years residing at Juhanayili in the Northern Region noted that she missed a lot about school regarding her relationship with her students, conversations, socialising and sharing students’ problems. She expressed worry over how students are reading and working on their assignments since the advent of the pandemic.
“Some of the students have no access to the internet to enable them to participate in the e-learning, hence my worries are many but what can we do in this era of COVID-19 than to adjust and pray that God will deliver us from this deadly disease” she laments.
She added that there is a lack of potable water in her community where her school is situated. “Children find it difficult to access potable water to wash their hands with soap under running water despite it being a key requirement to preventing the infection of the disease,” She said.
However, she expressed excitement for the opportunity granted to her to speak on radio, adding that, with the radio, people are willing to listen to your knowledge and wisdom regarding issues of COVID-19 wherever they are.
“When I was called to come to the radio station to share information about COVID-19, I was glad because as a teacher you are bound to face challenges which you need to develop the habit of sharing information” she underscored.
She added that people in deprived communities cannot come to the cities to ask questions regarding COVID-19, hence the radio allows them to participate in an educative radio discussion such as Savana Signatures and Edukans initiative that enables them to call-in, ask questions and seek for clarifications.
Mrs Musah asserts that the initiative presents them the opportunity to provide education in Ghanaian local languages on the preventive measures of COVID-19 to persons who cannot read nor write or understand English.
She stressed that “though schools are closed it’s not a holiday, parents should encourage their children to sanitize their hands, wash their hands with soap under running water, observe social distancing and study at home”.
According to her, through the radio discussion, they can reach out to students with the relevant guidelines and links to where they can access learning materials and/or follow the e-learning platforms, hence preparing them to have a fair idea on the importance of education and the willingness to resume school when schools reopen.