Our children need physical schools
What you need to know:
With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, many things have been significantly impacted and changed
While addressing the nation recently, President Museveni announced that all schools would be closed for 42 days.
The child I was with that night screamed with excitement upon the announcement.
I was deeply upset and aggravated by his reaction that I had a bad night..
Why? Because having lost more than two or so years of school, he had the audacity to celebrate school closure.
I expressed my deep disappointment although I am certain he did not understand the depth of it nor why I was so upset.
That night and when I woke the next morning I took time to pray for my son because unknown to him, this one act of closure had significant implications on his future in ways he could not quite fathom.
My biggest frustration had nothing to do with the hefty school dues that had been paid for both children in recent weeks. I was concerned with the aftermath of this situation.
With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, many things have been significantly impacted and changed. People have lost their lives and that has its own implications.
Strangely, a set number of persons have and continue to benefit from the situation too. That is just how crazy life can be.
The one thing that has suffered and will suffer deeply is the grounding and education of our children.
It does not matter how well we explain it away. There will come a time in the not so distant future when we shall have to face the challenges that will have arisen out of an entire generation missing close to two years of school.
We have to admit that school has inherent advantages and benefits for all children. These are not simply academic although that has its place and value.
School builds an individual in many more ways that cannot be denied.
Online school which is our only option for now has many limitations and flaws because children need and crave for regular and consistent physical interactions.
Also, we have to acknowledge that the greater majority of our school going children have absolutely no access to anything remotely online. Very few can access a television set or radio but even if they did, imagine what it takes to have young children focusing and learning via radio or television. That is if electricity or batteries are available.
Children need physical school.
They need the physical interactions and they must play with their peers because the social interactions build and nurture them in more ways than is visible to the eye.
It’s a known fact that the vast majority of our population are school going children. They are our best shot at the future and yet their foundations haven’t been built firmly or right so to speak.
May God help us all. May God help us to find ways of quickly rebuilding despite the perilous times we live in.
