KAMPALA, UGANDA: Government through the Ministry of Education and Sports has released new reporting dates for boarding students in Kampala, Wakiso, Mpigi, and Mukono districts ahead of the full reopening of schools in the country.
In a January 2 press statement from the Ministry of Education, the re-opening plan for schools in these districts will have to be done in a staggered to limit the anticipated congestion and maintain observance of the SOPs.
In the new reopening calendar seen by DailyExpress, A-Level students and pupils in lower primary will report on January 10 while O-Level students and pupils in Primary Five to Seven will report on January 12 in Wakiso and Mpigi districts.
However, A-Level students and pupils in lower primary will report on January 11 while O-Level and P5-7 pupils will report on January 13 in Kampala and Wakiso districts.
The ministry also said no boarding students in the concerned districts shall report for school earlier than Monday, January 10, 2022.
The spokesperson of the Ministry of Education, Dr Denis Mugimba, said the new dates are specifically for boarding schools in the Kampala metropolitan districts because of the traffic congestion due to the concentration of boarding schools in these areas.
“Remember what happened during the closure of schools in June 2021. We were advised to have a [phased] re-opening for this metropolitan area due to its unique challenges… Students in other districts can go ahead and report on the same date,” he said.
Figure 1: Boarding Students in Mpigi and Wakiso Districts
| Reporting Dates for Boarding Students | Category of Boarding Students expected to Report |
| Monday, 10th January 2022 | 1. A-level students 2. Boarding pupils in Lower Primary |
| Wednesday, 12th January 2022 | 1. O-Level students 2. Boarding pupils in P.5, P.6, and P.7 |
Figure 2: Boarding students Mukono and Kampala
| Reporting Dates for Boarding Students | Category of Boarding Students expected to Report |
| Tuesday, 11th January 2022 | 1. A-level students 2. Boarding pupils in Lower Primary |
| Thursday, 13th January 2022 | 1. O-Level students 2. Boarding pupils in P.5, P.6, and P.7 |
However, speaking to the DailyMonitor newspaper on Sunday, Seeta High Schools Headteacher, Mr. Allan Obbo said he had not seen the new directives from the Ministry of Education hence he could not comment.
The schools had asked parents to return their Senior Four and Six students on January 8 and Senior Two and Three learners on Sunday, January 9. Senior One and Five students were supposed to report on January 15 and 16, respectively.
Similarly, the headteacher of Hillside Primary School, Mr. Godfrey Shaba, said they had not seen the new directive from the Ministry of Education, but added that they would adhere if the new dates were from the government.
“When did the government release the new reopening dates, because we had asked our students to report before 10. If we get the revised reopening calendar, we shall adjust to what the Ministry has set,” Mr Shaba said.
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