Uganda has ordered millions of students back to the classroom as an end to the world’s longest school closure with nearly two years suspending learning due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Education Minister, John Muyingo, said all students would automatically resume classes a year above where they left off and pointed out that the necessary measures and guidelines have been put in place, and are to be respected to ensure the safe return of students to school.
Some 15 million pupils have not attended school in Uganda since March 2020 when classrooms were shut as Covid-19 swept the world.
Muyingo said any private school demanding fees above pre-pandemic rates would be sanctioned.
Child rights groups had criticized Uganda’s decision to keep schools fully or partially closed for 83 weeks, longer than anywhere else in the world, and warned there could be high dropout rates in coming weeks without urgent intervention to support learners.
Uganda has recorded 153,762 cases of Covid-19 and 3,339 deaths, according to the latest government figures issued on January 7.
