Minister Kaducu launches National Back to school campaign

By Samuel Kirimunda;

Minister Kaducu launches National Back to school campaign. The Minister of State for Primary Education has launched the Go Back to School campaign in a bid to get children back to school after two years under lock-down due to the covid19 pandemic. This happened in an address to the media in Kampala this afternoon in a collaboration between Government of Uganda through the Ministry of Education and Sports with support from Save the Child Uganda to publicize the announced dates for school re-opening.

Hon. Joyce Moriku Kaducu has requested all caregivers in the country to take all children back to school. “Parents need to find alternatives so that children who have been involved in work pay can return to school and learn.”

The Minister has emphasized that no child should stay at home or no child should continue to be involved in running a business while others are at school. She also requested the parents, and guardians to be involved in children’s learning as a way of supporting them to catch up for the lost time.

“The teachers should help the learners achieve the learning goals and support the vulnerable children, to return and also stay at school. We appeal to the teachers to report any suspected cases of covid19 on time.”

Kaducu has revealed that the government has pledged to employ remedial programs such as catch-up to ensure that children can recover lost learning time and reduce learners dropping out of the education system. Kaducu pledged the implementation of the National Guidelines on Prevention and Management of Teenage Pregnancy in school premises.

“We also commit to providing sensitization activities nationwide so that girls who are pregnant, can be supported to resume school after delivery once they are ready.”

The Minister of Education and Sports Hon. Janet Kataaha Museveni last week shared the concerns of the public about the unrealistic high school fees charges which are denying access to basic and secondary education and warned that any increase of school charges for reopening of schools Academic Year 2022 will be dealt with an iron hand.

However some schools have ignored the directive and this is compromising the government objective of providing affordable, quality education for all and increasing equitable access to primary and post-primary education.

Earlier, the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports set up a committee chaired by Professor Khadija, with objectives of stabilizing the current fees structure for both government and private schools, finding out the triggers for the escalating fees and proposing any other necessary recommendations for managing and controlling the vice.

According to the findings by the committee, a number were considered with a liberalized nature of the economy and decisions were taken by the government to regulate rather than control levels of fees by designing guidelines which of course must be abiding. In the long term, the fee structures should be a unit cost for each category of education.

The measures were communicated to the schools and the public as well and a circular was issued by the permanent secretary which directed that in the short time, all government and government-aided schools must subscribe to the fee structure proposed in the report where an annual increase should not exceed five per cent of the current charges.

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