By Fred Kiva
Ministry of Education and Sports will come out with clear guidelines on fees following the immediate closure of schools before end of the term.
President Museveni on Wednesday ordered closure of schools for a month and suspended religious and other social gatherings across the country, as a measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Although many Ugandans welcomed the government move to guard against the deadly and contagious virus, some especially parents raised questions on how schools will go about fees for their children, as they will be sent home before end of the term. Some parents wondered if schools would refund part of the fees.
In response, government spokesperson Ofwono Opondo said the Minister of Education Janet Museveni will give clear guidelines on the matter. “The Education and Sports Minister Janet Museveni should give clear guidance on fees since 1st term has been shortened. Parents shouldn’t be cheated,” he said in a tweet shared on the Uganda Media Centre social media platform on Thursday.
It’s not clear when these guidelines will be issued, however, several schools are already inviting parents to go and pick their children back home in response to the Presidential directive for schools, universities and other institutions of learning to close effective Friday, March 20.
Some of the school notices to parents seen by this reporter didn’t clarify on fees. The parents were however, implored to link up with their respective children’s class teachers for further discussion as they pick them from school.
Museveni who made the directive on Wednesday during a national address on Coronavirus at State House Entebbe, noted that closure of schools particularly, would limit rapid spread of the highly contagious virus, as learners will now be away from the overcrowded environment to their homes.
“It is wise that we temporarily remove these concentration points to prevent the spread of coronavirus. All these institutions, without exception should close so that we deny this virus high concentration,” the President said.
Closure of schools and other social gatherings is part of the heightened government precautionary measures to keep away the coronavirus pandemic. The virus has so far infected 201,530 people, and killed 8,007 in over 100 countries across the globe.
Uganda has no confirmed case for now, as all East African neighbours grapple with the virus.
