The Ghana Education Service (GES) has decided to return to the academic calendar used before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the first term of the 2023/2024 academic year will commence on October 3, 2023.
In a memorandum signed and issued by Dr. Kwabena Bempah Tandoh, the Deputy Director-General of the GES responsible for quality and access, it was conveyed, “The management of the Ghana Education Service would like to notify you that basic schools, including Kindergarten (KG), primary, and junior high schools across the country, will reopen for the first term of the 2023/2024 academic year on October 3, 2023.”
This memorandum, as reported by the Daily Graphic, was addressed to all regional directors of education on behalf of the Director-General of the GES and stated, “This action returns the academic calendar to its pre-COVID-19 state.”
The memorandum also expressed the GES management’s heartfelt appreciation to all teaching and non-teaching staff for their invaluable support during the challenging period in the country.
Furthermore, it requested regional directors of education to disseminate this information to metro/municipal/district directors of education. They, in turn, were instructed to inform all heads of basic schools, parents/guardians, and students to take note of the reopening date and prepare accordingly for a seamless and effective academic year.
It is worth noting that on March 16, 2020, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo ordered the closure of all schools in response to the initial cases of COVID-19 in the country.
This closure abruptly halted all academic activities, leading to disruptions in the academic calendar. Subsequently, the start of the academic year was shifted from September/October to January.
However, in 2022, the GES introduced a transitional timetable as part of efforts to revert to the pre-COVID-19 academic calendar.
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