About 15 million Ugandan children are resuming school today after enduring the world’s longest school closure.
On Monday, Uganda schools reopened after learning was suspended for two years because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Education Minister John Muyingo said all students would automatically resume classes a year above where they left off.
“All schools have implemented guidelines and standard operating procedures to ensure the safe return of children to schools, and measures have been put in place to ensure those who don’t comply do so,” Muyingo said.
Muyingo said any private schools demanding fees above pre-pandemic rates would be sanctioned.
Child rights groups had criticised Uganda’s decision to keep schools fully or partially shuttered for 83 weeks, longer than anywhere else in the world.
“We can’t let this happen again. We must keep schools open for every child, everywhere,” the UN child rights group UNICEF said on Twitter.
Uganda has recorded 153,762 cases of Covid-19 and 3,339 deaths, according to the latest government figures issued on January 7.
