Prime
Govt releases new reporting dates for schools
Pupils attend classes in Jinja City in early 2021. Schools in Uganda are expected to resume in early January 2022 following a two-year Covid-19 forced break. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
- Meanwhile, students in international schools are also slated to comply with re-opening rules.
The Ministry of Education has released the new reopening dates for boarding students in both primary and secondary schools in the districts of Kampala, Wakiso, Mpigi, and Mukono.
According to the new plan seen by Daily Monitor, all learners in day schools shall report on Monday, January 10, for classes while those in boarding schools shall follow a staggered reporting plan with effect from Monday, January 10.
The January 2 press statement from the Ministry of Education indicates that no boarding students in the concerned districts shall report for school earlier than January 10.
The spokesperson of the Ministry of Education, Dr Denis Mugimba, said the new dates are specifically for boarding schools in the Kampala metropolitan districts because of the traffic congestion due to the concentration of boarding schools in these areas.
“Remember what happened during the closure of schools in June 2021. We were advised to have a [phased] re-opening for this metropolitan area due to its unique challenges... Students in other districts can go ahead and report on the same date,” he said.
According to the new calendar, A-Level students and pupils in lower primary will report on January 10 while O-Level students and pupils in Primary Five to Seven will report on January 12 in Wakiso and Mpigi districts.
However, A-Level students and pupils in lower primary will report on January 11 while O-Level and P5-7 pupils will report on January13 in Kampala and Wakiso districts.
Schools in these districts had asked parents to take their children before January 10. Boarding students were required to report starting from January 7 to 9, which the ministry has rejected.
“The district taskforce had set their dates for reporting but these were rejected. Schools which have already communicated to parents a staggered reporting plan that goes beyond January 13 may retain such a plan provided no learners report before January 10,”Mr Mugimba said.
Meanwhile, students in international schools are also slated to comply with re-opening rules.
The headteacher of Seeta High Schools, Mr Allan Obbo, yesterday told this publication in an interview that he had not seen the new directives from the Ministry of Education hence he could not comment.
The schools had asked parents to return their Senior Four and Six students on January 8 and Senior Two and Three learners on Sunday, January 9. Senior One and Five students were supposed to report on January 15 and 16, respectively.
Similarly, the headteacher of Hillside Primary School, Mr Godfrey Shaba, said they had not seen the new directive from the Ministry of Education, but added that they would adhere if the new dates were from the government.
“When did the government release the new reopening dates, because we had asked our students to report before 10. If we get the revised reopening calendar, we shall adjust to what the Ministry has set,” Mr Shaba said.
