Amuru district receives 70m to assist in schools reopening

Amuru, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Government has remitted UGX 70 million to Amuru district local government to fund the implementation of guidelines and standard operating procedures in its schools.

Classes for candidates started on the 15th October this week following a phased reopening of schools announced by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni after almost six months of closure due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Michael Lakony, the LCV chairperson Amuru district says the money was received on Thursday this week and will be distributed to all the government schools that were allowed to open by the district education inspection team.

Amuru district has a total of 145 schools with 51 being government aided schools. Lakony says the district only has 40 schools which met the requirements for the standard operating procedures. He also said 10 schools including private and community schools will not open due to lack of resources to cater for teacher’s allowances.

According to Lakony, each of the schools allowed to open will receive 1.5 m to aid the running of the school activities in light of the pandemic.

Denis Otim, a teacher in one of the schools in the district says the money will not be enough to cater for all the required materials to ensure SOPs are followed. He sights things including temperature guns, hand washing materials including liquid soap or hand sanitizers which he says might easily get finished in a short period of time.

Otim hopes that government will send additional money to help run the school activities. But Lakony notes that the district is putting together a team from the office of District Education Office to manage the finances for the schools to avoid reckless and unplanned spending of the educational grant received as part of the quarterly funds.

Geoffrey Oceng Osborn, Deputy RDC Amuru says now that the district has received funds to support the schools, there’s need for more sensitization and mobilization of learner’s to be sent to school.

Oceng says that he observed a low turn up of learner’s in most schools in the district in the first two days since schools reopened.

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