The Ministry of Education and Sports says that no learner or teacher will at any time be allowed to use general public transport, including taxis, vans and boda-bodas when schools reopen for finalists on October 15.
As part of the guidelines for reopening, the authorities note that public transport poses public health risks, especially now, when the country is seeing a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases reported daily.
The ministry is insisting that parents should, as much as possible, identify schools nearest to their homes to enroll their children in the meantime to avoid risks, unnecessary costs, and inconveniences of long-distance travel to schools.
Schools have also been directed to dedicate school vans on designated routes of learners to transport teachers who are not accommodated at school and do not use private transport.
Although the government had earlier noted that each class will accommodate 10 to 15 learners, this has been reviewed to allow individual school management and staff to agree on the appropriate classrooms and dormitory spaces so long as they ensure physical spacing of two meters between learners in class and dormitories.
Alex Kakooza the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Education, says that they are still considering having learners and teachers in high-risk areas like Kampala, more so those in boarding schools, to be screened before they commence with teaching and learning. Mr. Kakoza speaking……
Earlier, Mr. Kakoza had listed other requirements among others as, restriction of members of the public from accessing the schools, provision of adequate security and safety measures, setting up a COVID-19 committee and guiding and counselling learners against Covid-19 related stigmatization. END
