Education Ministry Permanent Secretary, Alex Kakooza
Schools will only reopen as Day or Boarding but not both, the Ministry of Education and Sports has revealed.
The revelation was made by the Permanent Secretary of Education Ministry, Alex Kakooza while appearing before the Parliament’s Education Committee chaired by Palisa County MP, Jacob Opoloti.
Kakooza together with the State Minister in charge of Higher Education John .C. Muyingo led other ministry officials to meet the MPs.
Education Ministry officials briefed MPs on how they are going to handle the reopening of schools on 15th October 2020 especially for the candidate classes and finalists at different higher institutions of learning.
Kakooza told the Committee that it is upon the heads of schools to decide whether to keep all the candidate students in the boarding section or let them come from home but not both so that they can be able to manage the situation of the pandemic of COVID-19.
He also noted that all those schools with more candidate students will be require teaching their students in shifts to avoid the students from high risks of COVID-19. The shifts will ensure social distancing is observed.
He added that Government is going to provide two high standard masks to all the candidates.
Kakooza also noted that even the teachers and the supporting staff at schools will have to stay within the premises of the schools and that all those who will be coming from outside the schools will have to first go into quarantine so as to avoid the possibility of them transmitting the disease to the learners. The proposal has been opposed by MPs.
Kakooza also confessed to the committee that it was not their final advise to the President as Education Ministry to allow the reopening of schools on 15th next month, noting that it was the advice of the COVID-19 National Task force.
He revealed this after being pressed by MPs to explain who advised the president to reopen the schools.
The Minister of State for Higher Education John . C. Muyingo appealed to MPs and all Ugandans to appreciate the initiative done by the ministry and the government at large to reopen schools because they are operating in the abnormal way that is why they have consulted many stakeholders in the education industry on when and how to open the schools.
He also showed dissatisfaction on the comments which are made by many politicians in Uganda that the stake holders were not consulted and yet they consulted them.
Most colleges of higher learning do not have enough staffs accommodation or nothing completely E,g UCC Aduku among others. Where are these staffs going to reside ?
At the moment most teaching staffs are in their respective villages within Uganda when will they be confined and who will make arrangements for receiving learners ?
On contrary , I don’t agree with those saying that students are either day or boarding . how can you trace all the contacts if a student is in day section . I think its better for all students to be in a boarding section .