The Government of Uganda should open up the schools, with Standards of Procedure that can ensure the safety of pupils/students, teachers and support staff in schools.
We appreciate the work of the Government, but it should also bear in mind that much as it has fronted plans to provide television sets and radios to facilitate on-line learning, there are other limitations like electricity, distractions at home, and IT illiteracy.
How long COVID-19 will stay is unpredictable. The Government should recognize this and adopt means of living with the pandemic while facilitating the continuity of education. The Government can for example;
- Provide protective gear (masks and gloves) to all teachers and students;
- Provide enough temperature guns at every school;
- Make sure that every school has a sufficient number of hand washing points, and availability of water and soap;
- Require and ensure the implementation of social distancing guidelines;
- For those schools that are too small to observe social distancing guidelines, students can be required to study in turns/shifts;
- Deployment of officials at schools to monitor and ensure strict adherence to the guidelines;
- Incorporate COVID-19 trainings into the school syllabi and facilitate trainings for the teaching and non-teaching staff as well, and;
- Procure more testing kits specifically for the schools
Alternatively, schools can reopen to accommodate strictly those students/pupils who are unable to access e-learning platforms; and for those who can afford to access the platforms, the same classes can be followed online; or on television/radio.
If places like Kikuubo are open and operating as they wish, then there is more reason for schools to be allowed to reopen.
The Government of Uganda should open up the schools, with Standards of Procedure that can ensure the safety of pupils/students, teachers and support staff in schools.
We appreciate the work of the Government, but it should also bear in mind that much as it has fronted plans to provide television sets and radios to facilitate on-line learning, there are other limitations like electricity, distractions at home, and IT illiteracy.
How long COVID-19 will stay is unpredictable. The Government should recognize this and adopt means of living with the pandemic while facilitating the continuity of education. The Government can for example;
1. Provide protective gear (masks and gloves) to all teachers and students;
2. Provide enough temperature guns at every school;
3. Make sure that every school has a sufficient number of hand washing points, and availability of water and soap;
4. Require and ensure the implementation of social distancing guidelines;
5. For those schools that are too small to observe social distancing guidelines, students can be required to study in turns/shifts;
6. Deployment of officials at schools to monitor and ensure strict adherence to the guidelines;
7. Incorporate COVID-19 trainings into the school syllabi and facilitate trainings for the teaching and non-teaching staff as well, and;
8. Procure more testing kits specifically for the schools
Alternatively, schools can reopen to accommodate strictly those students/pupils who are unable to access e-learning platforms; and for those who can afford to access the platforms, the same classes can be followed online; or on television/radio.
If places like Kikuubo are open and operating as they wish, then there is more reason for schools to be allowed to reopen.