Let The Education Go Down

It would not be wrong to say a vast majority of Ghanaians do not fully understand issues about COVID-19, how the virus spreads and the catastrophic danger it poses to the country and the world at large.

We do not blame them. There are people who hardly ever listen to the news. They are overly focused on bread and butter challenges that they hardly care what else goes on.

Even with those who listen to news, some still feel COVID-19 is a ‘rich people disease’ and far from the ordinary Ghanaian.  Such class of people would swear heaven and earth that they cannot get the virus because they do not mingle with the rich.

There are way too many misconceptions about the virus and how it spreads. We are already behind time in disseminating factual information about COVID-19 to all Ghanaians even at the grassroots level.

Our National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE), which ought to be doing this useful task, would sing the same old chorus of being under resourced.

The Information Service Department (ISD) would join in same chorus, leaving the task of information dissemination to traditional media, especially those who communicate in the various local languages.

The New Publisher is of the view that people would cooperate more with the restrictions and abide by the safety measures if they have a proper understanding of the nature of the war we are engaged in.

We doubt if people are actually intentionally putting themselves in danger or opening themselves up to the virus simply because they have opted to do so.

There are people who even think they are doing someone a favour by staying home. There are people who think the security personnel out there to enforce the restrictions are nothing but a bother.

This wrong thinking cannot change until the right and basic information is packaged to the level of their understanding and given to them in a lagage they understand.

Until the wrong thinking changes, people would not stop being recalcitrant or defiant.  Until people stop being defiant and start to cooperate, we are not wining this war as one united country.

The New Publisher thinks we should adopt a strategy where people would willingly obey the rules and support the measures that have been put in place rather than use force to compel obedience and compliance.

No one wants to die.  But the linkage between staying at home and playing with death has not been properly defined to the grass root man. There are people who still see statements such as , ‘stay home, stay safe’, as mere slogans.

As we enter the second week of restricted movement and enhanced testing, we hope and pray that the education and information dissemination would be enhanced so as to bring us all on same page in fighting this pandemic.

Better days are coming; we shall overcome because THIS TOO SHALL PASS.