Please receive “CV-19 Free” greetings from COHHETI. It is hard to believe how everything has changed, in such a short period. The entire world is battling with COVID-19.

We are fully aware that the impacts of COVID-19 will disproportionately affect people in our communities who have limited resources, access and options and we would like to commend the Government and all relevant agencies for their commitment to stand by and with the people to fight this deadly disease. We thank all health workers for their bravery and commitment towards defeating this common enemy and to all of us for adhering to the precautionary measures outlined by the Ministry of Health.

Ever since His Excellence President Nana Akufo-Addo, ordered the indefinite closure of all Schools to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, few of the country's Health Training Institutions began exploring options in online learning. Since the outbreak began in Ghana, life has virtually come to a standstill.  Health Training Institutions remain closed across the country.

I would like to thank everyone for the incredible commitment to ensuring that our community stays safe and is able to manage this disruption in as healthy a way as possible.

The Health Training Institutions have been one of the sectors most visibly impacted by this pandemic. The closure of schools’ and cancellation of major examinations leave a huge question of the progression of students to the next level, especially those in the final year preparing for the licensing examinations this year. It is in this state of uncertainty that a number of Health Training Institutions in Ghana have made some strategic decisions to transition our core business of teaching and learning online. I congratulate all Health Training Institutions for the laudable initiative despite the numerous challenges confronting us.

In times like these, the resolve and agility of Educational Institutions are pushed to the boundaries in recognizing the new ecosystem presented to us and how the related challenges are supported. The action of innovation, creativity and nimbleness quickly become key to “business as usual”.

To my colleague Principals and Directors, the art of leadership which requires one to motivate, influence and maximize the efforts of others to achieve a common goal, as defined by Forbes, comes out to the test. Additionally, the notion of “employees make the organization” becomes reality. Flexible organizations with responsive and engaging teams are the ones most likely to adapt quickly to limit the disruption in order to survive.

To our hard-working Tutors who have adopted the virtual classrooms to keep the students busy and learning, I say “AYEKOO”. Keep it up and try to reach out to those students who are unable to join this virtual classes because of technological challenges. You may reach them on phone, encourage them to ask questions on the course contents they need clarification.

I also encourage the various IT officers in the Health Training Institutions to make their impact felt by bringing up new innovation to the teaching and learning environment, by developing various learning platforms that are Tutor and Students friendly to enhance these online learning.

I entreat all students to take this virtual classroom/online learning serious and participate fully to derive the maximum benefit from it.

The nebulous situation we found ourselves during the second week of March 2020 required the right attitude of cooperation, collaboration and trust from all Principals, Directors, Faculty, Staff, Students and Parents. This mindset is needed to support the transition of operations from the physical classroom to the online classroom.

There is no doubt that the impact of COVID-19 is devastating, but in the long-term, there is hope for Health Training Institutions who position themselves for longevity and sustainability to ultimately present a positive social impact on communities.

The COVID-19 threat is new to all of us; none of us has dealt with precisely this situation before. We are acting out of an abundance of caution and with the best interests in mind of this and the larger community. We are all dealing with this together. We are committed to doing our best and making the best decisions.

Once again, l entreat all of us to stay at home and adhere to the precautionary measures outlined by the Ministry of Health. This too shall pass.

Thank you and May God bless us All.

Signed

Monica Nkrumah

President