Heatwave: Education ministry asks schools to stay alert

The Ministry of Education and Sports has advised schools to be vigilant in spotting any signs of dangers during the current heatwave.

The ministry stated it would confirm reports of excessive sunshine after receiving the weather forecast from the meteorological department the agency responsible for weather forecast.

The recent heat wave has affected many people in various parts of the country, the extreme heat day and night has also left in despair especially livestock farmers who are worried of their livestock.

Neighbouring South Sudan has temporarily closed schools to address the situation.

The state minister for higher education Chrysostom Muyingo, has asked schools to be vigilant and pay attention to weather conditions to prevent leaners from any dangers of the heat wave.

The ministry says that the situation here is still manageable, but schools will be put on alert as the ministry gets a report from the weather forecasting agency to understand the current and future weather conditions.

‘‘We are sure that our temperatures will not hit so high like it is in neighboring South Sudan, so we shouldn’t panic, learners will be in school and we don’t have any intentions of sending them home,’’ say Muyingo.

Muyingo alluded to this while addressing the press in Kampala, where he announced that the government would increase investment in the Universal Primary Education program, as government strides to make it compulsory.

The UPE programme, in its 27 years, has often been criticized for its low budget, but this will change in the next financial year, with over 300 billion Shillings being invested.

Furthermore, the government plans to renovate existing primary schools that are in a sorry state and construct new ones to enhance accessibility to education for leaners.

Since the inception of universal primary education, the number of students enrolled in schools has increased from two million to eight million, although many do not complete it.