Education ministry warns medical schools against concealing Covid-19 cases

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Education and Sports has warned administrators of medical schools against concealing COVID-19 infection cases ahead of their reopening next week.

On 18 June, President Museveni re-imposed the second lockdown in the country, closing all education institutions of learning, public gatherings and banned public transport after an escalation in the COVID-19 infection rates.

Last month, the President relaxed the restrictions and directed the Education Ministry to allow medical institutions to resume studies, especially for candidate classes.

Dr Joyce Moriku, the State Minister for Education accused some schools of concealing cases among the learners for fear of being closed which led to an increase of cases. She explained that as the schools gradually resume operations, the ministry will keep high vigilance on administrators who will flout the surveillance protocol against the pandemic risks established by the Ministry of Health.

The Minister said that the safe opening of schools will involve strict adherence to the standard operating procedures, requiring education institutions to recruit qualified health personnel to strengthen surveillance.

Dr Moriko further disclosed that while the pandemic may not end soon, the ministry is developing a comprehensive roadmap to be released any time for the reopening of schools.

The Minister also rallied parents to embrace vaccination because the country lost a significant number of parents after they contracted the virus from their children after the closure of school during the second wave of the pandemic.

Last week, the Ministry of Health received 586,000 vaccine doses (286,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine) as a donation from Norway through the Covax facility and 300,000 doses of the Sinovac vaccine, a donation from China to boost nationwide vaccination.

*****

URN