The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Education and Sports has advised administrators of schools and other educational institutions not to rush to set guidelines and dates on when they expect to reopen their gates for finalists.
Recently, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni who directed the closure of all educational institutions in March due to the outbreak of the Covid-19, allowed schools to open on June 4 but for only finalists in primary seven, senior four, senior six, and those in their final years in Universities and Tertiary Institutions.
To this effect, the president noted that the education Ministry should come up with guidelines for reopening schools across the country. However, as students and parents remain anxious waiting for the dates to be announced, the specific operating procedures are also yet to be released.
As a result, several educational institutions, more so public universities across the country, have released their tentative reopening programs. For example, Makerere university has set June 20 as their reopening date, Kyambogo is targeting either June 20 or 28, Mbarara University of Science and Technology has announced June 8, while Busitema is tentatively set to open on June 13.
In the same development, some of the said universities have also set guidelines and conditions for the finalists to access the universities. Gulu and Mbarara University of Science and Technology have already proposed to carry out a mandatory COVID-19 tests for all students among other interventions.
However, Patrick Muinda, the Ministry of Education spokesperson, notes that educational institutions should patiently wait before they plan for any dates. He adds that the ministry is looking at all the aspects before they roll out the awaited plan.
Muinda adds that the ministry is now at the final stage of the consultative process on the reopening of education institutions and later they will be embarking on consolidating information obtained from stakeholders including school heads, parents, teachers’ associations, and implementing partners.
The ministry is expected to guide among other things the mode of reporting, fees policies, and transport of students for day students and for those in border districts where the ban on public transport has not been lifted among other items.
Some sources have however intimated to this reporter that part of the delay to give out the plan is due to financing aspects. “You know this matter involves money. The ministry cannot just open up a school without prior preparations. I will give you a simple example; if the guidelines call for regular washing of hands, then who will meet the charges in public schools? that should be the government,” said the source.
The source added the ministry among other things is still waiting to get an accelerating grant for the COVID-19 education response and recovery plan from the Global Partnership for Education – GPE. it is said that Uganda expects to get over USD 20 billion. Other countries like Rwanda, Zambia, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania have already benefited from the grant.
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Let’s wait but remember the time for preparing the finalists is almost out of hands
Ok let’s wait but why did the ministry prevent Universities like ucu to give out online exams yet it all costs were going to be met by the university
Allowing universities affects all levels frm nursary level to e highest climax.so be patient enough, were in this together
Let the ministry open all schools because it makes no sense to open up only for candidate only leather let it be a dead year
Lets wait we are dancing at yo tunes
prevention is better than cure. we therefore have no to joke with life since the pandemic still exists
It’s time to learn how to live with Corvid -19 as we are now with AIDS it’s like these MPs have their hidden agenda of not reopening schools . And now if public transport is to operate soon why not schools am seeing no difference.
Ok lets wait
Am in moyo now.hw will i travel to mbarara where i teach from,as a p7 tr.
Life first , without life even education is useless
Good query
Stay safe ride a bicycle
We should learn how to leave with the virus and life moves on
If we’re to open let’s do it because what i have seen so far students being at school is better than in their homes.
Because they just move here and there with no reasons which puts their families at a risk as parents move to look for survival thanks
Let’s wait but still reopening all candidates will not make sense . Let’s call it dead year coz even the finalists don’t meet the institutional fees or else if we want the fee structure to increase
Waiting, did the ministry agree with covid that it will soon end? we can even wait for 10 years when covid has not ended.
Let the government just open for the whole classes, who knows when will this called COVID 19 will end, in case it takes ten years should we say that schools will be closed, this is not a visitor, it’s a disease, let people copy up how to live up with it just like AIDS
No comment
Who will be the candidates for 2021? ,because we are not planning for the sim candidates of this year. Thanks ministry. Am Mr Sande. Alamanzan from kamuli
Teachers and finalists can also be affected by covid-19,by reopening school when the rate of covid-19 infection is stil very high,shall put the life of teachers and candidates indanger.7healthworkers are tested positive.Trs.&candidates are going to be the most infected group of people in the country if not well planed.COVID-19 is too dangerous!
How does a whole ministry fail to come up with a sensible idea within such a time? Are you going to wait till next year or?
Govenrnent,teachers and students can olso be affected by covid-19,the rate of infection is stil very high.Education is good,but education is there because there is life
Mzee remember life is better than education , so it doesn’t matter just live it
We are in unusual and unprecedented times, business and life cannot be as normal as has been and therefore it is just understandable that we prepare to sail through these times with minimal or no fatalities at all.
Our children depend on us to make rational and calculated moves. As H.E. the President described it rightly; this is a war.
Proverbs 24:6 KJV
For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.
I pray that we stand together with our leaders and all stakeholders in the Education department to thrust a way forward so that this academic year is redeemed.
For God And My Country.
We must be vigilant about this reopening b’cos bordering districts and out side country students will still be a problem.so plz we need not to rush. I appreciate the ministry for the out standing works.For God and my country.
The USD 20B will be beneficial if the bad guys have no physical contact on it.
Naye mutujoze nnyo basajja MWe..kale mujoga but note this let us poor Ugandans suffer coz of your ambitions but God will punish you and wen you die you don’t deserve to rest in peace but in hell.
proverbs 29:3
No life no education,we betterment wait
better have a dead year than loose life.
The answer is simple not all students have access to the internet. Was the university going to buy smart phones, iPads and provide internet connection to all the poor students without them and if so how would the university reach them at their homes. This is Uganda let’s embrace our country #isupportministryofeducation
Jajja u and ur team have to decide what if the disease continue over 2yrs will u still reopen for only candidates? Sebo think before u act.
OK let us untill the situation comes OK because am also afinalist at kyambogo university bt am waiting for way forward
Z better to keep candidates en finalist who can help country en their families rather than to risks them to dead, minister do u think their families will be happy on u with ur plan when they are infected? Consult more en more before final decision. For God en my country
Uganda hides in the moto,”For God…”, yet putting HIM out of the covid fight, OK Govt must plan for all levels of learning not only candidates. Or else private sch trs will demonstrate.
I 100% support our president HE:Yoweri Museveni for the strong struggle towards the denaturing of COVID-19 in our motherland UGANDA though others just take it for granted but You and your company really have done a great job and i wanna thank you with a long lasting leadership for tremendous changes.
Am a senior four S4 student at St Balikuddembe sss kisoga
It is useless to have power without control so our President HE:Yoweri Museveni has the power with control to safeguard us against the spreading of CORONA-VIRUS and i strongly support you for a long lasting leadership as many of us wish too.
Am a senior four S4 student year 2020 at ST BALIKUDDEMBE SSS kisoga_Mukono.Mzeei Ohhh Yeah!!!√√√
They should also remember that there ar people outside the coutry who went home so my point is they should also think about us and also open borders t allow thm t come and study
Let’s wait
Just very soon
For me jam planning to marry jam in senior six if it become a dead year for sure students in our village are looking for wives like goats me too lam going to do so thanks
I strongly support that 2020 academic year be made a dead year reasons;
1. Am a P7 tr fears to be infected by a pupil from less safe area
2. I a P7 tr can not complete syllabus hence poor performance .
3. Government value less education hence trs are abandon most especially me a private tr .
More so a tr teaches a doctor and a doctor is praised so let there be no studies then we see where government will get Doctors without importing specialist .
4. Am happy that parents are now defiling their own children no blame on me a tr .
5. Etc
Noboby is away when covid is ending in the world so let’s try to copy up with in it in our usual life which means all the activities have to continue as normal while try to avoid contracting the disease so schools have to open for candidates
Tough times never last but tough people do….
I think schools can reopen if the ministry makes a fundamental program me such as rotational attendance for classes to nature up social distance,govt providing sanitary equipments to schools,students and teachers such as sanitizers,masks etc but the govt Should not throw issues catering teachers in a busker both govt en pvt
if the ministry is to open schools. let all students get a chance to resume with their studies. and of course the government should look into the issue of paying private teachers atlist 50%.for the time that they have spent unemployed.
candidates shld go back .lower level kips on with silybus on media to promoted next year coz candidates many may dropout if they miss this yeat
r
Its always said education is the best course. Since everyone knows how to manage that virus. Please open schools with strict conditions. I’m tired of being home. Put your selves in my place.. We need jobs. We are idle…how should we pay rent??? .
Just open. We know how to fight the disease.
ALSO PLAN FOR THE SEMI CANDIDATES
Oops, it looks confusing but first and foremost thank you for the untiring efforts and thank God for some of us haven’t contracted the virus, now in my opinion, a few things here and there are not working, for example as the ministry of education is working tirelessly to forge the way out, some of the unnecessary expenditures could be avoided as in, the year can be apparently regarded as a dead year and may be the money could come later in the education system, for example, buying radios and TV’s seem to be welcome but really it is going to be had in that electricity bills and internet connection is not a good one throughout uganda, some families like exactly here in some of the villages we live in sleep on empty stomachs and now buying the dry cells, is going to be a challenge, minus let them be solar aided, but some of the areas have people who are still in total ignorance, if a tv is not at their home, then the students ain’t supposed to sit before the tv. So still it’s challenging, social distance is still an issue among the population,so as the ministry thinks about what to do, some expenditures can be put to a stand still as the ministry really seeks what to do. Any way effort not bad
am a tr please wait life is more important than education no life no educaton
Indeed put our shoes in yours 4months no money coz of being in a private sector. Sincerely no one knows when convid will end so open up school God will protect people not lock down otherwise u will miss votes from all private trs, bodaboda, saloons, Arcades and students in general.