State Minister for Higher Education Dr. John Chrysostom Muyigo has dismissed media reports that schools shall reopen in September.
Earlier this week, several media reports indicated that the Ministry of Education and Sports had given schools the green light to reopen in the first two weeks of September , in staggering manner starting with Primary one- three and senior one – three.
However, speaking during release of the Uganda Business and Technical Examinations results done earlier this year, minister Dr Muyingo refuted these claims and insisted that this is less likely.
According to Muyingo, only cabinet will authorize educational institutions to reopen.
“I have been reading many newspaper articles about schools reopening and I am sure some of you are confused. First of all, it’s not true that government or my ministry has come up with dates for school reopening. This is not true. You are saying two weeks, three weeks. No,” Muyingo said.
He added that neither has the government decided yet on reopening dates nor come up with a formula of how this is going to happen.
“We are still planning, consulting. At an appropriate time, a formal communication will be made. What you hear, what some of my colleagues have been saying are merely consultations. At the end of all these consultations, our ministry will present to Cabinet which has to make a formal communication (on schools reopening).”
All education institutions save for medical schools have been closed since June 18, when Museveni announced a national lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19.
On July 31, the president partially lifted the lockdown but maintained that schools remain closed until some conditions have been fulfilled including vaccination of all teachers and learners.
Last month, Janet Museveni appealed to the public to join hands with the education ministry and mobilize teachers and learners aged 18 years and above in all institutions to go for Covid-19 amid planned safe reopening.
“The task of mobilizing our teachers and learners to get vaccinated cannot be left to the Ministry responsible for Education alone,” she noted.
