The Ugandan government reopened schools on Monday, ending the world’s longest school closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic, reported The BBC.
Notably, some 15.5 million students had their education disrupted when the closure went into effect due to the pandemic.
The East African country had announced the closure of schools back in March 2020 when the first coronavirus case was confirmed on the African continent.
Education Minister John Muyingo said all students would resume classes a year above where they left off. He said the government would sanction any private schools demanding fees above pre-pandemic rates.
In an interview with the AFP news agency, the Ugandan education minister said all schools have implemented guidelines and standard operating procedures to ensure the safe return of children to schools.
Universities and higher education institutions were made to open in a phased manner, but schools for kindergarten and lower primary students remained closed.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni had lifted most of the COVID-19-related restrictions in the country in September last year, but schools continued to remain closed. In October last year, he announced that schools would reopen early next year regardless of the vaccination uptake.
Denis Mugimba, the spokesman for the Ministry of Education, said at least 73% of teachers have had their first vaccine dose and there is a robust surveillance system in schools.
Uganda, East Africa’s third-largest economy, has recorded 153,762 cases of COVID-19 and 3,339 deaths, according to the latest government figures issued on January 7. According to the Ministry of Health, only 4 million of a population of 43 million is fully vaccinated.
The government is slowly reopening the economy fully despite the start of a third wave of the pandemic driven by the Omicron variant.
Ugandan President Museveni has also warned of a new lockdown in case if intensive care units reach 50% occupancy.
