10th/January/2021, is the date all schools countrywide are set to fully re-open, after being closed for close to two full years as a result of the Covid-19 virus outbreak in March 2022. While some well to do schools have been teaching their learners in a staggered manner and through online platforms, many a learners have barely recieved any education since the schools closure.
While addressing the media, Uganda National Teachers Union (UNATU) General Secretary, Mr. Filbert Bguma called on teachers to not pump learners with too much work, all in the name of covering up for the lost time.
"When you meet learners in either secondary or primary and ask them what class they're in, they'll ably tell you 'I was in senior one, I was in primary five.' Meaning that they are not redy to return to the same class after two years. The only caution we gve is the school administrations should not pump learners with a lot of work, given we're having limited time. If you pump these learners with too much work, you'll make the bad situation worse!" said Mr. Baguma
He also added that learners who are joining candidate classes stand a better chance at performing, given they'll have a fairly longer study time compared to those in other classes. The fact that different schools are at diferent stages in terms of syllabus coverage is also likely to be a challenge, especially when national exams are set because some learners will hav an upper hand compared to others.
He (Mr. Bguma) also called on the government to intervene and provide support to teachers who've also not been teaching by providing some workshops and seminars to ensure they're at their best when they resume teaching.
