by africa-press.net reporter
Faridah N Kulumba
Ugandan parents at Busia town bordering Kenya have resorted to enroll their children to Kenyan schools in order to save their educational future.
Parents say that the ongoing phases of re-opening schools in Uganda has not prioritized the education of their children yet they have invested on them a lot.
This follows the president Museveni’s nation address last week, when he announced the opening of the schools for semi candidates in phases at the beginning of March 2021, joining the candidate class who resumed their studies on January 2021.
The government of Uganda closed all educational institutions in the country in March 2020, over COVID-19 pandemic.
And re-opened only for candidate students and finalists at the Universities.
Why are the parents crossing their children to Kenya yet the schools are opening soon?
President Museveni after re-opening classes for semi candidates, did not mention anything about when other classes would go back to school.
And even when the Minister of Education Janat Kataha Museveni wife to the president came to clarify on the issue a day after the presidential address, she added salt to an injury when she announced that nursery and kindergarten children bellow the age 0f 6, will not attend schools until when COVID -19 pandemic is cleared, which confused some parents.
Parents continue to say that they are worried of their children’s future and that they can not just sit back and watch while the education future of their children is being buried.
Sam Ajamdo a parent from Busia explained this to our AFP reporter
“We can not wait to fully re-open the schools when our children are growing up and deteriorating, yet in the neighborhood the children are going to school.” said Ajamdo.
Sister Marry Goret Ngaso a head teacher of St Mary’s Nursery school located at Kenya boarder, revealed that they have admitted many Ugandan students who crosses the border using bus .
“We have a big number of kids from Uganda who are learning with us, parents feel they can not stay with their children at home, they need their children to be in school.” Ngaso said
Sister Mary also continued to reveal that people enrollment from Uganda has increased, and that they are doing what ever possible to follow the Standard Operating Procedures to protect the children from COVID-19.
Government’s reaction about the situation.
The government of Uganda has not intervened yet , but the Minister of Eduction warned parent to be ready to face the consequences that may be fall the children in foreign countries.
“Ugandans are free to do what they want to do, we can not stop them but all i can say is that if they take their children to where they may get problems.” Mrs Museveni warned.
The situation of opening the schools in phases has not only affected the parents, but also the teachers who lost their jobs.
