School reopening: Janet Museveni Speaks Out

Education and Sports Minister Janet Kataaha Museveni has spoken out on school reopening.

Some classes were days away from returning to school when President Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni announced a 42-day lockdown after a spike in Covid19 cases and deaths.

Since then, the school calendar remains thrown in uncertainty, with this being its second year of disruption.

Now, while releasing the 2020 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) results at State House Entebbe on July 16, Ms Museveni touched on the issue of school reopening.

She made it clear to schools, teachers, parents and students education institutions wouldn’t reopen anytime soon.

The first lady also called for patience.

“It is premature to say we will open at this time,” she said.

“To me, I cannot say this is the time we shall open, but in the near future, we shall. We should all be patient.”

She added that she wasn’t sure about reopening dates since determining such was a collective decision.

“I do not want to talk about something we are not confident about. The decision of closing or reopening schools is not made by my ministry alone,” she noted.

“The decisions can only be made by the government after they have been discussed by Cabinet.”

The only students who could return to school soon are those in medical schools.

Minister Ms Museveni revealed talks were ongoing to reopen medical institutions following a petition by students.

FULL LIST: See Uganda’s Top 140 Schools ranked according to Aggregate Four Scores in 2020 PLE Results; Central Uganda leading