Cabinet to meet on Monday for final decision on school reopening

Cabinet will meet on Monday, June 15, 2020 to discuss and make a final decision on the phased reopening of schools and higher institutions of learning, PML Daily has learnt.

The earlier scheduled reopening of schools for candidates and finalists was in May suspended for one more month to allow time for more consultation by the stakeholders.

And now this website has learnt that the stakeholders have finalised their consultations and the Ministry of Education will present the proposals before Cabinet for debate and final endorsement on Monday.

A source in the ministry intimated to this website on Sunday that the key proposal on table is to start with finalists in higher institutions such as colleges, technical schools and universities because “those have boarding facilities where students can be managed.”

For the other schools; primary and secondary school candidates, the proposal is to plan for all students to return to school at ago after fulfilling certain conditions. This, the source, argued is to avoid disrupting the academic programme where candidates will move from one class to another while others are left behind.

“We have planned for everybody. We do not want anyone to be left behind. When a student completes P.7 what happens to S.1? That is why we are planning for a phased reopening,” the source said.

Some of the health conditions are that schools must renovate buildings, build new ones to create more space in classrooms and dormitories, provide masks for all students and teachers; test all teachers and students before allowing them at school.

For the finalists in higher institutions, mid-July has been proposed for reopening while for the other primary and secondary schools, end of August has been suggested.

On Friday, June 12, Dr. John Chrysostom Muyingo, the state minister in charge of higher education, confirmed some of the proposals but did not give details.

“We want schools to ensure that the environment for our children is safe, secure and healthy. We want to ensure that our children are not sick and if any of them falls sick, the institution will take maximum care of the child,” he said.