‘We Have Not Yet Allowed Schools To Open’- Education Ministry Clarifies As MUK Declares Opening Date

By Spy Uganda

The Ministry of Education and Sports has clarified that  government hasn’t scheduled a date for re-opening of schools yet, despite President Yoweri Museveni’s directive last week to allow students in candidate classes and finalists at universities to resume studies.

While appearing before Parliament to answer queries from legislators about the re-opening of schools, Hon. Rosemary Seninde, who is the State Minister for Primary Education, clarified that the Ministry of Education was still liaising with the COVID-19 National Task Force to establish when schools would resume operations, without spreading COVID-19 further.

 “We have not set a date when schools are starting. So we must make it clear as government that we shall come back and communicate to the public when schools are opening. We have not set a date,” Minister Seninde told Parliament, adding that they were still waiting for communication from the National COVID-19 Response Task Force.

However, the Minister’s statement came at a time when some schools had already started urging students to return, such that they can resume studies.

Meanwhile, despite the Minister’s statement, the management of  Makerere University has since announced that the University would open on June 7^th, 2020 and that all students are expected at the institution on or prior to that date, such that they can resume studies.  A letter from the University written by the Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe about resumption of studies reads thus;

“Following the pronouncement by the president of the Republic of Uganda H.E Y.K. Museveni that universities would re-open for only final year students, the Makerere University COVID-19 Response Task Force at its meeting held on 25^th May, 2020,  came up with the following guidelines for the re-opening;

1-Dates for re-opening: Saturday 20^th June, 2020 and close 7^th August 2020. This will include teaching and end of Semester examination.

2-Getting data for the Final Year students and contacting them

3-To Know how much has/had been covered in terms of teaching and remaining time

4-List the Public Health Control Measures required and planning for acquisition.

The Deans of Schools are directed to provide the following information;

1. Lost of all Final Year students with their telephone numbers
2. The Schools which have been teaching Online; how much time was remaining to complete the course(s) unit contents and the number of students per unit.
3. The Schools which did not teach online,  how much time is required to comple the course (s)unit content?

This information should reach the office of the Vice-Chancellor by Midday Friday 29thth, May, 2020.”