Education Ministry: We have not yet agreed when to reopen schools for all learners

The Ministry of Education and Sports has distanced itself from media reports that it will be reopening schools for all learners in February, 2021.

Alex Kakooza, the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary says as government, they have not reached a common understanding regarding the reopening of schools and Higher Institutions of learning for non-candidate classes.

“Contrary to media reports, Government has not yet agreed upon the re-opening of schools and Higher Institutions of learning for non -candidate classes. The public shall be informed when a decision is reached,”noted Mr Kakooza as quoted by Uganda Media Centre on Monday.

Last week, it was alleged that government was planning to reopen schools for all pupils and students next month.

It also also claimed that the Ministry of Education had already released funds including other Shs23 billion for reading materials and the the decision was waiting for final approval by their Ministry of Health counterparts.

Ismail Mulindwa, the director of basic education said the Ministry was holding discussions with national taskforce on Covid-19 on the potential reporting date.

“We have not yet decided the exact date on when they will return. But its next month. We are still in discussions with health authorities,” he said, noting that the exact date will be communicated next week.

A source at the ministry of Education disclosed that they had agreed to allow only sub candidate classes to return to school but discovered that the decision was going to clog the system.

“We said let’s go for all of them including Senior One and Twos. But there are several meetings that will take place before the permanent secretary makes a position,” the source told Daily Monitor newspaper this week.

Schools were closed on March 20 last year following the outbreak of Covid-19. Several measures were then instituted including the lockdown to control further spread. But in June, government started easing the lockdown, later allowing candidate classes to report only if their institutions could implement a two-metre social distance between learners, among other standard operating procedures.