KAMPALA — Parents and teachers should prepare for the phased re-opening of schools in Uganda to start on September 20, for all candidates including Primary Seven, Senior Four, Senior Six and finalist students in universities and other tertiary institutions.
Senior presidential adviser on epidemics, Dr. Monica Musenero who also sits on the COVID-19 National Task Force told reporters that the government intended to re-open schools for final year students to enable them complete their studies to fill the human resource gaps in the health sector among others areas.
It has also been decided that international schools re-open on September 21, sources told this website.
Dr Musenero is quoted by the Daily Monitor as saying that all schools with candidate classes and finalists are free to reopen starting September 20, provided they have fulfilled the Covid-19 guidelines set for reopening of the education institutions.
“Schools are allowed to reopen for all candidate classes but on different dates. Schools that will meet the standard operating procedures that have been put in place by the government will be allowed to reopen,” Dr Musenero says as quoted by the Daily Monitor.
Uganda is at a critical moment in its handling of the coronavirus pandemic as millions of learners return to the classrooms, many for the first time since March, when the country went into lockdown.
The resumption of schooling will be crucial for young people who have fallen behind in their studies, with government rejecting the idea of another lockdown and state of emergency, reasoning that this will
spur economic recovery by allowing parents to continue working in deserted town and city centers.
But the move also risks a new spike in infections, as young people and teachers mix together.
Several teachers’ unions have consistently criticized the decision to move ahead with reopening schools in September despite possible risks, but Education Minister Janet Museveni last week directed Minister of Finance to release capitation grants for Third Term to enable schools prepare for reopening of candidate classes.