Luweero parents skeptical as Education Ministry rolls out response plan

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Parents and local leaders in Luweero district say that the preparedness and response plan by the Ministry of Education in the wake of the ongoing closure of schools is inapplicable to learners in rural areas.

Education Minister Janet Museveni on Monday evening extended the scheduled opening date of primary, secondary schools and Universities. The development followed the extension of the lockdown in the fight against the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

She said that the ministry has since developed a Preparedness and Response Plan to enable the continuity of learning during the lockdown. According to the new plan, learners will be taught on radio and TV.  Earlier on, the Permanent Secretary of Education Ministry had written to all Chief Administrative Officers asking them to sensitize the parents to appreciate the importance of continued learning using the platforms.

Kakooza listed 38 radios and televisions stations where the Ministry had secured airtime to enable continued learning amidst the lockdown. He added that the Ministry, through the National Curriculum Development Centre-NCDC has developed audio, visual and print materials to be distributed to learners among other interventions.

Irene Nalwoga, a senior two student at St. Andrews Kaggwa Kasaala SS says that she has already started to follow the lessons on selected radio stations. Another student, Jane Nakazibwe from Luweero Secondary School says that she has also benefitted in classes aired on Televisions which has helped her to cover several topics in the lockdown.

But several parents and local leaders in Luweero district say that the Ministry’s Preparedness and Response Plan seems to be good to learners in urban areas and leaves out those in rural areas.

Butuntumula sub-county councilor Aisha Kayaga Shamim explains that access to radio sets which are popular in rural areas is restricted to only men who switch them on during news bulletins. Kayaga explains that even those who allow the children to listen in are constrained over high costs of battery cells.

Kayaga also noted the learners are currently active in gardens with parents and it’s difficult to give them free time to follow the teaching on radio stations.

John Paul Kibalama, the LC III chairperson of Butuntumula sub-county says that the Ministry promised to distribute reading materials to parents through parish chiefs but wondered when and how this will be done yet many don’t have means of transport.

Margaret Nalwoga, a parent at St. Andrews Kaggwa Kasaala Secondary School said she doesn’t have a radio nor television and thinks the plan won’t benefit her.

Richard Luwondera, another parent at Nalongo Primary School says that even the few with television sets can’t run them all day because of unreliable solar energy. Luwondera added that others are struggling to buy food and there is no way they will buy battery cells to power radios.

Jimmy Tamale another parent says that the home environment is not conducive to learners and parents may not have time to monitor the learners to concentrate on the selected educative shows.

Boniface Ssentongo the chairperson of Luweero District Education Committee says that the learners can only concentrate when they are directly interacting with the teacher in classrooms, not on radios or televisions.

Ssentongo says this is not effective and they are praying that COVID-19 is contained so that the schools are reopened for normal learning.

But Luweero district Chairman Ronald Ndawula says that they are studying the plan to see how to apply it to benefit both learners in rural and urban areas.

*****

URN