By: Kyeyune Ali
Kampala: Today at Hotel Africana , The president of Uganda Students Association Welunga Yusuf together with other joint taskforces on keeping schools open and safe through Muslim Women Vision, Mother’s Union, Scouts and Girl Guides Association, Family Comfort Foundation, College of Vet. Medicine and St. John’s Ambulance have patterned to enforce All preventive measures during reopening of the schools in Juanary 2022.
The Uganda National Students Association(UNSA) that was established by the Education Act 2008 with a mandate of championing students interests across the country.
Uganda has had the longest closure of schools in the world due to covid 19 over 22 months, for the last 22 months 90 percent of the 15 million learners in Uganda have never stepped into school while the other 10 percent have been in and out of school or home studying.
President UNSA saying “It is important that once the schools are opened up , they run without further disruptions, irrespective of Covid 19 state in the country and any additional closure of schools will wipe out almost all the gains made in Uganda’s Education sector and economy over the last twenty years.”
” As the president promised to open schools and the economy fully, unfortunately people are also already seeing a new virus called omicron , with limited information about it’s kind, there is a need to prepare for the worst but still people are very vigilant and extra consciousness of the pandemic.
Uganda national students association also appreciate the painful but Wise decision taken by the government to close schools.
The decision contributed to Uganda’s success story in managing the pandemic and appreciation also goes to the ministry of education and ministry of health for mobilising schools for reopening through staff priory vaccination.
Under this campaign UNSA is under the theme of ” Keeping schools open and safe” . With the government and the partners through working with the joint task force of concerned citizens, we shall achieve this goal.
The strategies schools under go to prevent covid 19.
1. Vaccination
2. Covid testing instantly
3. Intensive school based surveillance for covid
4. School based Care for mild cases
5. High risk schools should try as much to intensify screen and testing students as they report back to school.
Executive Chairperson Madam Aisha Namukwaya from Muslim women vision also added that during the course of Covid 19 there so many students who are not going to school due to Early marriages , pregnancy and others were being violated both physical and mental this resulted after the outbreak of the pandemic.