Africa-Press – Uganda. As schools prepare to reopen on Monday, West Nile leaders have put in place stringent measures against teachers who have shunned the vaccination exercise.
During their stakeholders’ meeting, the leaders resolved to block unvaccinated teachers from accessing school premises.
While speaking to Daily Monitor on Wednesday, Mr David Dimba, the Municipal Education Officer, said learners’ safety is priority.
“We have asked the government to reopen schools. When President Museveni allowed the reopening of the economy and schools, we were happy and prepared to welcome back the learners and reopen schools as directed. Let us, therefore, observe SOPs and follow his directive to embrace vaccination,” Mr Dimba said.
He added: “The ministry has trained us and head teachers on how to receive the learners and currently, head teachers are training their teachers. During my inspection this week, all schools expressed readiness to open.”
Mr Dimba said at least 90 percent of the teachers have been vaccinated.
In Yumbe District, Mr Rasul Luriga, the district education officer, tasked head teachers to ensure that all their teachers are vaccinated.
Mr Luriga said teachers will be expected to present their vaccination cards and certificates before they are allowed to teach.
“We shall follow and check the teachers thoroughly. The teachers who will not report to school shall be considered absent and their names shall be forwarded to the district for appropriate action because if you are not working, you don’t deserve to get a salary,” he said.
A total of 4,475 teachers in both government and private schools registered to be vaccinated but the target was surpassed after 5,002 teachers were vaccinated.
In Kabarole
Meanwhile, In Kabarole District, Ms Sarah Ayesiga, the Covid-19 taskforce chairperson, said allowing unvaccinated teachers will be risking the lives of learners.
“When our schools reopen, we shall not allow unvaccinated teachers and non-teaching staff in schools, because we don’t want to risk our children,” she said.
Ms Ayesiga made the remarks on Wednesday while meeting school head teachers at the district headquarters.
She said all teachers will be required to carry their vaccination cards at school and give a photocopy to school head teachers. “I want to warn all the teachers who are planning to forge Covid-19 vaccination cards that they are risking their jobs,” she said.
The RDC said by Tuesday, Kabarole had registered 44 new Covid-19 cases.
Compile by Robert Elema, Rashul Adidi & Alex Ashaba
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