Proprietors of Private schools under the Proprietors of Private Educational Institutions’ Association in Uganda (PPEIAU) have asked president Museveni to spare sometime and meet them for a discussion regarding the opening of schools.
The Proprietors through their chairman Mike Kironde, claim the President has been misguided by the scientists regarding school reopening.
“Failure to open the schools is a sign of disrespect to education, without education, we cannot have the scientists, the doctors and those advisors who are misguiding our president, “said Kilonde.
Kilonde who is also the proprietor of Janan Schools expressed worry over having students in the same classes amidst lack of candidate classes.
“We wonder how the education of children will be handled when different year students are in the same class yet we also don’t have candidate classes.
Those misguiding our President are having their children studying online while the vulnerable children are getting pregnant from home while others are involved in drug abuse and other related crimes,’ he said.
He told Kaaro Karungi News that once the President accepts to meet them, they will enlighten him on how best, school opening can be handled given the fact that Covid-19 is not likely to go tomorrow.
“As private proprietors, we need to be involved in the entire process of school opening because we also have children whom we have to protect. We have committed ourselves to support government in educating our children and we don’t want the government to let us down, “he said.
Christopher Mugwanya, the treasurer of the association asked government to prioritise immunising teachers for school opening can be managed well.
“We believe that once all the teachers are vaccinated, they can support the entire process of vaccinating the learners since all other vaccinations have been happening at school.
Our concern is that if not even one percent of the population has been vaccinated, how soon will the vaccination of the teachers and the learners take place,” he said.
He explained that just before the second lockdown, they mobilised their members and teachers for vaccination under the campaign codenamed SAVE THE LEARNER which was launched in conjunction with Ministry of Education and sports at Kololo Independence grounds.
He however said that the campaign saw over 2000 teachers vaccinated within two days, excluding others vaccinated at other centers.
“Unfortunately many of them have only taken the first doze much as they are yearning for the final doze, incidentally we are more than willing and ready for the countrywide vaccination of all teaching and non-teaching staff, leaners and parents if only government is set for the exercise “he said.
He explained that they made written requests to the Ministry of Health suggesting ways in which they can collaborate with government in conducting the vaccination against the Covid-19 pandemic in schools, surprisingly he said the Ministry is still quiet about the proposal.
The director communications Christopher Kiwanuka observed the need for government to have confidence and trust in school administration saying they are capable of adhering to the sops and other guidelines just like other institutions have been trusted like the prisons services, markets and public passenger transport.
