Education Ministry Sets Conditions For Opening Of Schools Amid Pandemic.

The First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Janet K. Museveni has made a call for vaccination amongst teachers and learners across the country.

This, when done, would be one of the means to ensure safety and sustainable resumption of teaching and learning activities nationwide.

To fairly execute this plan, Janet has urged all the collaborative stakeholders to the ministry in the local governments such as District Chairpersons and Councilors, RDCs and RCCs, CAOs and DEOs among others to mobilise teachers for vaccination.

“We appeal to the public to join us in efforts of mobilising our teachers and learners aged 18 and above in all the Education Institutions of Learning ― both public and private, to go for their COVID-19 vaccination jab,” said Janet.

This appeal was made through a statement and the Minister said that since the delivery of learning is a highly interactive physical process, vaccination is highly recommended.

Against this background, Janet said that even the other critical non-teaching staff that works closely with the learners should also be vaccinated since delivery of learning is not by teaching staff alone.

Whereas some sectors were opened when the President, Yoweri Museveni eased most of the measures of the COVID-19 lockdown on July 30, education institutions remained closed.

These would be closed until certain conditions are attended to including vaccination of all the teaching staff in these institutions and learners between the age of 12 and 18 years.

For this fact, therefore, and considering a target of learners only aged above 18 years at the time, the Minister said that the remaining population of learners below this age will wait for their turn.

“The Ministry of Health shall inform the public once COVID-19 vaccines that are approved for people aged 12-16 years of age have become available,” Janet added.

Earlier, while releasing the 2020 UCE Examination Results, Janet revealed that the government would vaccinate over 1.8 million learners spread from primary six to post-secondary institutions which would thereby render schools safe for both learners and teachers.

She said that this is part of the plan developed by the Education COVID-19 response committee and the National Task Force on COVID-19, to control the possible surge of infections among school-going children.

This idea was reaffirmed by President Museveni who said that the government has already agreed to the idea and directed the Ministry of Health to follow up on the matter and include it in their plans.

He said that the plan will be boosting the earlier planned vaccination of 440,000 teachers and non-teaching staff who had not received their COVID-19 jab in the first phase.