Following the outbreak of coronavirus in the country,many sectors have been greatly affected and with no doubt the education sector is one them. This is because schools have been closed since March.
As one of way of providing solutions for the schools to reopen, government has proposed a number of standard operating procedures with the aimed to protect students from the pandemic.
Unfortunately, Education experts assert that schools cannot respect the Ministry of Health instituted Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Filbert Baguma, the Secretary-General of the teachers’ union-UNATU, said even though they all agree that continued closure could undo gains made in education – teachers are in a dilemma with the reality that applying social distancing alone is impossible as this will not only require more infrastructure in terms of classrooms but also more teachers.
The Ministry of Health has dispatched teams to consult with District Education Officers (DEOs) to assess the status of schools and discuss strategies for safe opening.
In addition to these, researchers at the Makerere University School of Education have also embarked on a study to examine interventions that will help students study without having to converge.
But, experts who were attending a meeting to discuss educational leadership and management said e-learning, printed reading materials and instruction over the radio as were promoted as alternatives were not well thought out, are not equitable and a waste of resources. Baguma gave radio instruction as an example of a failed intervention.
