My first day at school marked

Story: Hadiza Nuhhu-Billa Quansah
This year’s “My First Day At School” was marked in a grand style by pupils and students throughout the country.
The day has been set aside specially to welcome fresh pupils entering kindergarten, primary one and junior high school (JHS) one. It also signified the commencement of the 2011-2012 academic year for basic schools.
To make the day a memorable one for the schoolchildren, schools in the Greater Accra Region had the Minister of Education (MoE)), Mrs Betty Mould Iddrisu and her team made up of the acting Director General of the GES, Ms Benedicta Naana Biney; the acting Deputy Director General, Mr Stephen Adu; the Director in charge of Pre-Tertiary Education, MoE and Mrs Mary Quaye all with the Ghana Education Services.
Schools in the regional capitals and districts were not left out as they were equally visited by the Regional Ministers and District Education officials.
In order to enable the children feel comfortable and willing to attend school every day, the schoolchildren were presented with assorted fruit drinks, biscuits and free school uniforms and 15 laptops each to the junior high schools. The laptops formed part of the 60,000 computers the ministry is distributing to public basic schools across the country. Each school is to get at least 15 computers.
The free laptops which is a public-private initiative being carried out by the MoE, with support from rlg Communications, a local computer assembling company, will benefit 13,000 primary and 8,000 junior high schools. The project also forms part of the e-school policy and programme of the MoE to enhance computer literacy and learning in basic schools.
Aside these items, the MoE in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, has also taken delivery of 600,000 hand sanitisers for distribution to basic schools throughout the country.
According to the Public Relations Officer of the MoE, Mr Paul Krampa, the government is expecting one million more of the sanitisers next year for further distribution to the schools. The sanitisers are expected to be kept in classrooms for use by pupils.
The move is to promote hygiene in schools to avoid pupils contracting infectious diseases such as cholera and typhoid fever.