Bunyangabu school administrators still plead for dead academic year

Bunyangabu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Headteachers and other school administrators in Bunyangabu district have expressed mixed reactions over a move by the government to open schools for candidate classes. Many of them say that the government should have considered a dead academic year to give them enough time to prepare for the reopening.

Schools across the country have been closed for more than six months as one of the measures to control the spread of coronavirus disease. However, despite a recent spike in cases, President Yoweri Museveni advised that they should reopen for candidate classes and finalists in higher institutions of learning effective October 15.

However, the headteachers in Bunyangabu say that both learners, parents and administrators are not prepared enough for the new term. Private school administrators are particularly concerned about how they will raise money from a few candidates to pay teachers and running costs.

Rubona Secondary School Deputy headteacher Brian Mugisa says that they are not yet guided on how to proceed with the curriculum that was halted in the first term. Mugisa adds that there is also a need to ascertain the readiness of both learners and teachers before they get back to class.

Paul Bigirwa, the headteacher of Nyakigumba Parents Secondary School told URN that they don’t have the finances to reopen yet the school has not received any government funding during the lockdown. Bigirwa urges that it would have been better for the government to wait a bit longer until the situation normalizes and all students return to school at once.

Dorothy Ampaire, the director of Mbaga Primary and Secondary Schools urges that if the government observed a huge threat for all students to resume, the option for a dead year would have been viable. She is also cognizant that some parents still have their businesses closed and these might be unable to send their children back to school.

Taddeo Sunday Baruga, the director of Light and Guide Primary School in Rwimi says private schools solely depend on student’s enrollment to operate. With 38 candidates, he says they are unable to support his 6-man team and pay other bills.

Julius Alituha, the director of Good Luck Primary School in Rubona town says that the school had not received complete payments from parents during the first school term yet private institutions like his cannot access bank loans due to the current economical uncertainties.

Eric Kabaliraki, a parent from Kiboota says many parents may not be able to return their children to school since most of their sources of incomes were affected by the lockdown.

State Minister for Higher Education John Chrysostom Muyingo however guided school administrators to rather focus on how they can gradually start academic activities.

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