The Ministry of Education and Sports, says that it will not bother COVID 19 non-compliant schools ahead of the full reopening on January 10, 2022. Unlike the first lockdown where the Ministry inspected schools and awarded them scores and compliance certificates in order to reopen, the ministry has remained silent this time around.
The ministry has also okayed schools to reopen even when some of their staff and learners above 18 years of age are not vaccinated. Earlier, the government had directed that vaccination is a must for the school community including teaching and non-teaching staff and learners above 18 years of age.
The Ministry also directed schools to put in place handwashing facilities, isolation rooms, sick bays, display COVID-19 information, improve sanitation and hygiene and enforce social distancing, and masks.
According to the Education Ministry, the Department of Education Standards last inspected schools in September 2021 and the findings indicated that only 30% of schools had pending issues that required action before they qualify to reopen.
Dr. Dennis Mugimba, the Spokesperson Ministry of Education, says that the ministry anticipates that with an interval of four months since the inspection, the schools that fell under the 30% category managed to work on their pending issues.
According to Mugimba, the ministry is certain that at least a good number of the 30% of schools has in the four months period complied fully and qualify to reopen. He, however, adds that immediately after the reopening the local governments will be able to identify those few schools that failed to comply within the four months period as agreed.
The Education and social services officer (Kampala Capital City Authority –KCCA), Makindye division Drake Mutahakana says in his division all schools will reopen apart from a few that still have issues with their landlords.
‘’We have had enough sensitization with the school administrators and we are sure that they will comply to the SOPs, apart from a few cases who have issues with their landlords,’’ Mutahakana said.
According to the directive from President Yoweri Museveni, all the educational institutions including pre-primary, primary, and secondary will fully reopen on January 10, 2022.
