Seven teachers in Fort Portal arrested for failure to wear masks

Fort Portal, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  Seven teachers in Fort Portal Tourism City were arrested on Thursday morning for failure to wear masks as schools reopened for finalists.

The teachers were picked up as Kabarole Resident District Commissioner– RDC, Steven Asiimwe moved around schools to ensure strict adherence to the guidelines issued by the Education Ministry for the school reopening.  

According to the guidelines, all staff and learners are required to wear face masks all the time. 

Schools are also expected to ensure learners wash hands, observe the recommended social distance of 2 meters and record the body temperature of everyone in the schools.

However, during the inspection on Thursday, Asiimwe found that as pupils and students struggled to observe the guidelines in face masks, their teachers were doing the opposite.   

He ordered for the arrest of two teachers from Kahungabunyonyi Primary School, two from Fort Portal International Nursing School – FINS, two from Kabarole Adventist Secondary School and one from Westville Secondary school.

He argued that the conduct of the teachers was exposing the learners to the risk of contracting COVID19 and setting a bad example of flouting the guidelines.  

He promised to continue carrying out the inspection together with police, saying everyone found within a school without observing the SOPs will be arrested and prosecuted.    

Joshua Kagaba, the headteacher Kabarole Adventists Secondary School, said he was happy with the teacher’s arrest. He notes that the whole of Wednesday, he was in a meeting with his staff where he strongly emphasized the need for strict adherence to the SOPs.   

Kagaba said that the arrest of the teachers would serve as an example to the rest of the teachers and students who were thinking of flouting the guidelines.  The affected teachers are locked up at Kagote Police Station in Central Division Fort Portal.   

On Tuesday, Fort Portal Tourism City education department cleared over 130 education institutions to reopen.  However, the department stopped Tooro Boarding Primary School and Fort Portal Islamic Primary School from reopening for failure to meet the guidelines.

********

URN