Among the first categories to be outlined for vaccination in March this year were the teachers and learners 18years and plus. This was put in order to allow the re-opening of schools take shape with limited risks of cotracting the deadly vaccine. The message was made clear from the begining that teachers should get vaccinated as this ws to be a green card to the resumption of the education sector that was put on hold last year in March.
According to sattistics, Uganda has 550,000 registered teachers, with only 386,996 having recieved the first jab and 154,126 fully vaccinated! This means that 8,878 teachers are yet to recieve their first jab of any Covide-19 vaccine.
In January however, schools will be re-opened for a calendar year, starting 10th/January as released by the Education Ministry. This has propmted the the ministry though its spokesperson Henry Mugimba to go hard on teachers who are yet to get vaccinated, that they either go get vaccinated and prepare to resume school or lose their jobs, as no teacher shall be allowed to access school premises if not vaccinated!
“If any head teacher allows an unvaccinated teacher or staff into school, he or she will be held accountable for contravening the Covid-19 SOPs for reopening schools. There is a rewards and sanctions committee of the Ministry of Education and Sports, which handles administrative issues to do with reprimanding teachers who have broken the code of conduct,” Mr. Mugimba added.
We wait to find out what the unvaccinated teachers have to say about this new order. Should they give in and get vaccinated and prepare to return to class or they should look for employment in other avenues?
