JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN - MAY 10: Secondary school students are attending the morning assembly on the first day of school, at Juba Diocesan Model Secondary School, on May 10, 2021 in Juba, South Sudan. Classrooms reopened to students after 14-months of COVID-19 restrictions. (Photo by Andreea Campeanu/Getty Images)
The government through the Ministry of General Education and Instruction has hinted at closing down schools if learning institutions in the country don’t observe strict Covid-19 health measures.
The Ministry acknowledges that there have no been covid-19 cases reported in any school across the country but the ministry is concern that the recent surge in the covid cases in the neighboring country, Uganda worrying.
“During Phase 1 of schools reopening for candidates’ classes, from October 2020 to March 2021, the schools adhered to Covid-19 preventive measures…unfortunately, recent visits to some schools revealed that the Covid-19 health measures were not adhered to. School children were not wearing facemasks and there was no water provided for washing of hands. With the current surge of the coronavirus in neighboring countries, we are concern that poor adherence to covid-19 protocols may lead to the spread of the disease in the country and hence the National Taskforce for Covid-19 pandemic has directed that any school or schools that fail to observe Covid-19 rules will be immediately closed down,” a press release from Education Ministry reads.
The Ministry reopened schools on 3 May 2021 after the National Taskforce for Covid-19 pandemic and after the Ministry of Health advised that the Covid trend cases were declining across the country.
Ministry, The medical authority stressed that schools should strictly adhere to Covid-19 pandemic preventive measures such as wearing Mask, frequent hand Washing, and checking body temperature otherwise risk being shut down.
“Our children stayed at home for more than a year without education and I do not wish to close down any school. We will continue to monitor adherence to these health measures in schools. Regrettably, the government will be left with no option but to close down schools that do not comply with the advice of medical experts, in order to protect our communities and country,” press statement signed by Education Minister, Awut Deng reads.
On Sunday, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni re-imposed a strict lockdown in Uganda that included the closure of schools and the suspension of inter-district travel to help beat back a surge in COVID-19 cases in the East African country.
The new measures, which became effective from Monday morning, include the closure of all educational institutions, some bans on travel, the shutdown of weekly open markets, and the suspension of church services.
