By Prof. Mesharch Katusiimeh
Your Excellency, managing the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic has not been easy, but you have done very well under the circumstances.
Your tireless efforts in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda has been recognised at home and abroad.
You decided ‘to err on the side of caution’ and that is why Uganda is among the countries that have recorded low numbers of death from COVID-19.
This is a result of your guidance and the national response strategy that included early closure of schools among other interventions.
However, I am worried and compelled to raise concerns about the continued closure of schools.
Your decision not to fully open schools for over one-and-a-half years continues to baffle Ugandans.
Lately, the reason for not re-opening schools was explained by the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Janet on her Twitter account, asking parents to be patient as the Government handles the vaccination of the vulnerable groups and students aged 18 and above.
In her own words, she said, “If the children, on the other hand, infect their parents, as most of them are day scholars, they would become orphans just like HIV/AIDS did to many families. We were left with many child-headed families in Uganda at that time.”
This seems to be the current official position. The statement by the minister instead of calming down the situation worsened matters with Ugandans coming up with various conspiracy theories to explain why the Government is not opening schools.
One of the theories gaining traction is that the National Resistance Movement government does not prioritise education.
They even claim that the budget for the education sector except for paying salaries of teachers and staff at education institutions has been diverted to other ‘priority’ sectors.
Mainstream media is now reporting that the Government has allowed primary and secondary schools to open in January 2022, while universities will open in November 2021. Before Maama Janet statement, you had indicated that the Government would first ensure that those above 12 years are fully vaccinated.
Are vaccines available so the Government will have finished vaccinating all those who are 12 or 18 years and above by January 2022?
According to the New York Times, Cuba has started giving shots to children as young as two. Are we about to hear that all primary schools will not open until all children above three are vaccinated?
In any case who knows, the third wave may happen around early next year, calling for the postponement of school re-opening!
My take is that it is time for schools to be fully reopened. We have already wasted a lot of time.
Children and schools are not the face of this pandemic, but in Uganda probably more than elsewhere, are now the biggest victims.
In June last year, I wrote to you by means of an open letter entitled Decision not to open schools may do more harm than good and I am glad you read and replied the letter. I would like to continue from where I stopped. Unlike developed countries who successfully executed Plan B in form of virtual learning, only about 5% of Ugandan children are benefiting from that.
In future, I would like to suggest that for countries like Uganda, when the economy is locked down, it should be locked down totally and reopened at once with all sectors operating including schools but strictly observing SOPs.
At a time when COVID-19 surges, the country can be up locked again and then reopened when the curve flattens. Lockdowns are just a stopgap measure. The reality is this: No matter how long schools remain closed, it is not going to end this pandemic.
The impact of school closures will, however, live with us for generations. This is particularly severe for the most vulnerable and marginalised boys and girls and their families who are the majority in the country.
Lastly Mr President, walk with your people during this time of crisis. Crisis leadership means listening carefully to your people, to their concerns, and to their ideas and solutions, however small. You could consider setting up channels for listening under your office — even to things you may not wish to hear. Everyone from ministerial staff down to district leaders and school heads, teachers, children, and parents has something to contribute and together they will provide crucial insights to help you plan your response to reopening schools. Appointing a body to coordinate these inputs can help.
Keeping schools closed means we are at the mercy of the virus now and in the future. But we are human beings created to conquer the world. We must keep fighting. God expects us to defeat the virus ourselves.
The writer is the dean faculty of arts and social sciences at Kabale University.
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