Education Ministry, Stakeholders decide today on Schools reopening

KAMPALA, UGANDA: Officials at the Ministry of Education will today afternoon meet with stakeholders in the education sector to make a decision on the reopening schools for the 2020 academic year resumes.

In a letter dated Friday, August 27, the ministry of education permanent secretary, Ms. Ketty Lamaro invited all heads of different bodies in the sector for the meeting slated to happen today Monday, August 30, 2021, via zoom (a virtual conferencing platform).

The list of invited stakeholders include;

1. Education Secretaries of Schools Foundation Bodies
2. General Secretary Federation of Non-State Education Institutions in Uganda
3. General Secretary Proprietors of Private Education Institutions Association
4. General Secretary, Uganda National Teachers Union
5. General Secretary, Uganda Private Schools Teachers Union General Secretary
6. Coalition of Uganda Private Schools Teachers Association General Secretary
7. National Private Schools Teachers Association

According to Ms. Lamaro, the officials will among other issues discuss the Government proposals for reopening of education institutions for completion of Academic Year 2020.

“The purpose of this communication, therefore, is to invite you to a stakeholders’ consultative meeting on the Government’s proposal for safe reopening of education institutions for completion of the academic year 2020 and progression of learners to the next level,” the letter reads in part.

President Yoweri Museveni last month ordered that all educational institutions must remain closed until all teachers and certain categories of learners have been vaccinated against Covid-19.

Despite growing heat from sector players and political opposition, the president insisted on protecting the school-goers and their families against the virus.

Museveni noted for instance that FDC’s Col Dr. Kizza Besigye was wrong in suggesting reopening of schools after vaccination of only the teachers and not the learners.

This he said would put the learners and their parents in danger, especially those in day schools.

“Even if all teachers were immunized, only a few schools are boarding schools. Majority of them are day schools, so the children will study and go back home and kill all their parents. Is that what Dr Besigye wants or he didn’t remember that the majority of the schools are day schools?”