The Minister of state for Higher Education, Hon John Chrysostom Muyingo is expected to present a comprehensive report to Parliament in a weeks\u2019 time on re-opening of learning institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This was prompted by a matter of national importance raised by Hon. Joseph Ssewungu (NUP, Kalungu West) who said that there are uncoordinated statements from the Minister of Science and Technology and that of Education. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI am happy that teachers are being vaccinated at a rapid speed but government has not formally given communication on how schools will resume,\u201d said Ssewungu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He added that the selection of students joining senior one and five into government schools is not clear, yet some private schools have already started admitting students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGovernment has not given Parliament a preposition on how schools will be re-opened. In rural areas, schools are dilapidated, there is no infrastructure and teachers are demoralised,\u201d added Ssewungu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also tasked the ministry to devise a solution for girls of school going age who are victims of teenage pregnancies, following prolonged period of staying out of school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat is the fate of these children as we open schools? The Ministry of Education will shift the burden to district education officers and Parliament, and at the end of the day, they will direct head teachers whom we shall see losing jobs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Busia Municipality MP, Hon Geoffrey Macho said that the closure of schools has forced children in border districts to cross to the neighbouring countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUganda students cross to Kenya every morning. When I asked my colleague from Lwakhakha, he told me the same. I had a chat with Hon. Geoffrey Lutaaya who is neighbouring Tanzania border, he told me the same,\u201d said Macho.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hon. Ibrahim Ssemujju (FDC, Kira Municipality) asked the minister to clarify on the operations of international schools in his statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cInternational schools are operating, so when the minister says schools are closed, maybe he only closes the local ones,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Muyingo explained that government has prioritized vaccination of teachers, adding that schools were closed as a precautionary measure to curb the further spread of Covid-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cVery soon, Parliament and the public will be informed on the plan to re-open schools,\u201d Muyingo said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On 18 March 2021, President Museveni ordered the closure of all learning institutions following a second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Parliamentary News<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Minister of state for Higher Education, Hon John Chrysostom Muyingo is expected to present a comprehensive report to Parliament in a weeks\u2019 time on re-opening of learning institutions. This was prompted by a matter of national importance raised by Hon. Joseph Ssewungu (NUP, Kalungu West) who said that there are uncoordinated statements from the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27983,"featured_media":18740,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_paywall_metabox":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[98],"tags":[31,119],"class_list":["post-26161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-featured","tag-uganda-news"],"yoast_head":"\n