Africa-Press – Uganda. On Wednesday, the Ministry of Education and Sports released the calendar for the reopening of schools. The Ministry set January 10, 2022, as the date on which the first term of the academic year shall commence.
In a statement, Education minister, Ms Janet Museveni, listed various responsibilities for various actors right from people in her own ministry, to local governments, parents and financial institutions in ensuring that all goes well when the schools finally reopen.
The ministerial statement pointed out that it was incumbent upon the parents and guardians to counsel and ready their children for the reopening of the schools and equip them with an adequate supply of face masks.
The ministry or government unfortunately seemed to abdicate its responsibility to the parents especially given the difficult economic circumstances in which some of the latter have found themselves following the outbreak of the pandemic.
Some people in the education sector understand the predicament of most parents and guardians.
That was perhaps best captured by Ms Esther Gidudu, the headmistress of Kyebambe Girls School, during a training of session aimed at preparing head teachers in Kabarole for the reopening of schools.
“We have already been told that these are parents who have been in lockdown, just like ourselves. Parents are going to come up with very many different challenges, which we should be able to understand,” Mr Gidudu said in an interview that was televised on Friday’s edition of NTV Tonight.
It is inconceivable that people in the ministry are not aware of the dilemma in which most parents find themselves, but Ms Gidudu was spot on.
Many businesses have since gone under resulting into losses of jobs and entire livelihoods.
Needless to say, a parent who lost a business or job will find clearance of tuition, some of which is very high difficult, during the 25-day window between the release of the calendar for reopening of schools and the reopening day.
So besides the provision of capitation grants to all government-aided education institutions and putting in place mechanisms for assisting private education institutions overcome some of the financial challenges that they find themselves, measures for which government should be commended, the ministry should have also guided schools and parents on the payment of school fees for those parents who may find themselves challenged.
That could provide for a phased payments based on a structured plan with fixed percentages.
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