Kabale Covid-19 Task Force Opposes Reopening of Schools

Members of Kabale district Covid-19 taskforce are opposed to the re-opening of schools and institutions for candidate classes and finalists citing lack of preparedness by schools, parents and the government to stop the spread of Covid-19.

Members raised the concern on Friday during the weekly Covid-19 taskforce meeting that was held at National Teachers College Kabale.

The Kabale district speaker Loy Zikampereza and Perigurino Turinawe both members of the taskforce said government was not considerate of the simplest means of transport like bodabodas that learners would use to reach to their schools.

They also noted that it would be very hard for school administrators to contain and control their learners from escaping from schools and therefore, it may be a problem to the country where students are likely to escalate the number of cases in the country.

Besides, the task force says a number of parents in the district are hesitant to send their children back to school because the virus is still spreading.

The Kabale district Covid-19 taskforce chairman Darius Nandinda said that they will write to the national taskforce advising that schools should not re-open.

He said that they have made a clear survey in all schools in Kabale district and discovered that some private schools are not ready to contain their students because some schools are too open.

There have been also concerns about international students who may not even have transport to Uganda.

President Yoweri Museveni in his recent address directed that schools to re-open for candidate classes as one of the measure of easing the coronavirus lock down.

Members have since then raised their concerns that no measures have been put in place to ensure the safety of students and teachers if schools are to re-open citing ill preparedness by government, schools and parents.