Lets’ get children back to school safely

Since March, schools in Uganda have been closed as a measure to prevent the spread of Covid-19. It is unfortunate that cases have continued to increase despite the lockdown, curfew and closure of schools. We can no longer claim that school closures will curtail the spread of Covid-19 after seeing cases of Covid-19 and community transmissions escalate. 

Our children should get back to school and their safety guaranteed not only against Covid-19, but also all forms of child abuse that we have seen manifest during the lockdown. Education is more than our children having the right to learn. Schools protect children from physical dangers, including sexual abuse, domestic violence, underage pregnancies, etc. 

Schools also provide children with lifesaving skills and psychosocial support, giving them stability and structure to enable them cope with any traumatic or challenging experiences. All children should be in schools where they can learn and not remain exposed to predatory abuses at home. Justifying the continued stay of children at home is something that is detrimental to their growth and development. 

We know that a significant number of our girl-children have become pregnant during this prolonged school closure and that is likely to exacerbate maternal deaths in the coming months. 

We know that some of our children have lost interest in returning to school because of their engagement as providers of labour and earning some money from it. Besides, some leaders insinuate that children are better off staying home than returning to school. 

Here is what we need to do to get our children back to school and safely:
Education stakeholders should work together to ensure that schools adhere to standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the Ministry of Health. Uganda has more than 10,000 registered non-governmental organisations and several business entities. 

The primary objective of all these groups is to promote growth and development in the communities they serve. The most sustainable way to promote growth and development right now is to get our children back to school. Education is not only important for sustainable economic growth, but it is also necessary for nation building and social cohesion. 

Development partners offering grants for various programmes in Uganda should channel some of their support towards helping our children return to school. These partners should hold government and others receiving these grants to account whatever they offer. 

Leaders at all levels should  ensure that our children return to school. This requires that we avoid making statements that justify school dropout or encourage abuse of children during lockdown. Leaders should desist from saying pregnancy has never killed anyone, yet most of the mothers dying while giving birth are the underage mothers.

Ariong Moses,
[email protected]