Uganda’s Ministry of Education and Sports, whose political head is First Lady Janet Kataaha Kainembabazi Museveni, has announced the official date for the early closure of all primary and secondary schools as one way of preventing the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease. The country is currently battling an outbreak of the viral haemorrhagic disease.
The current outbreak of Ebola was confirmed in Uganda in September 2022. Cases were first confirmed in the district of Mubende after weeks of reports of a strange disease that some people thought was witchcraft.
But the disease has since spread to a number of districts and the Ugandan capital Kampala. Besides Kampala and Mubende, districts which have reported cases of Ebola include: Kassanda, Bunyangabu, Kyegegwa, Kagadi, Wakiso and Masaka.
As of November 06, records from Dr Jane Ruth Aceng’s Ministry of Health (MoH) indicated that there were 135 cumulative confirmed cases of Ebola, with 18 on admission and 53 deaths. A total of 2,187 people have been listed for follow-up after getting into contact with Ebola patients or those who have succumbed to the disease while 1,815 have completed their 21-day follow-up.
Cases have also been reported in schools in Kampala, with nearly 30 learners said to have either been exposed to the deadly disease or infected with the Sudan strain of the Ebola Virus. The spread of Ebola in schools is the reason the Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb) has set up a special centre for Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) candidates who have been exposed to Ebola. (See Details Here).
Days ago, Health Minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng recommended the early closure of all schools to prevent the spread of Ebola. Now, the Ministry of Education has resolved to cut short the third term of the current academic year by two weeks. While third term was supposed to end on December 09, 2022, schools will now close their gates to learners on November 25, 2022.
Announcing the government ministry’s decision on behalf of First Lady and Education Minister Janet Museveni, Dr Joyce Moriku Kaducu, the Minister of State for Education and Sports in charge of Primary Education, also said that the Ministry will liaise with Gen Edward Katumba Wamala’s Ministry of Works and Transport to ensure that pupils and students safely return home.
Government has also ordered administrators of schools to decontaminate their premises before learners report for first term next year.
The announcement for the early closure of schools due to Ebola comes days after President Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni revealed his position about the possibility of a national lockdown over Ebola. (Read Details Here).
