Budaka District has received a total of 18,118 fabric reusable face masks from the ministry of health.
The masks are to be distributed to all the finalist in 146 schools’ that have been cleared to reopen on 15/ 10/2020.
Each candidate is expected to get two masks.
The government of Uganda through the ministry of education procured face masks worth 5.76 billion following President Museveni's order for schools to reopen for finalists following several months of closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
While handing over the masks to the respective school heads for both government and Private today at the district headquarters, Mr. Paul Higenyi the District Education Officer (DEO) applauded the ministry for the timely response.
He warned that no teacher or pupils shall be allowed in class without putting on a mask.
He urged parents whose children got pregnant to take them to schools to study and be registered to sit in for their final exams.
He reiterated his call for school heads to allow pregnant girls to study.
In September 2020 Reproductive Health Uganda an NGO operating in the Bukedi region, in its survey dubbed Data Quality Audit where 932 teenage girls between 13-17 years were found to be pregnant in only four sub-counties in the district.
The DEO trashed the report saying the department was not informed of some of the girls that could not have been in school.
Mr.Samuel Wakoli headmaster of Namirembe day and boarding primary school thanked the government for the swift response saying some parents had sent their children without masks.
Ms. Mugala Kanifa the UNATU Budaka branch chairperson, appealed to the teachers to desist from wasting time gossiping under trees but should rather use the available time to cover up the syllabus.
