Journalists and organizations promoting access to information have asked Government to prevail over Public offices charging exorbitantly for access of information in Public interest.
New numbers from UNESCO, released this Thursday, show that schools are now fully open in 117 countries, with 539 million students back in class, ranging from pre-primary to secondary levels. Around 117 million students, representing 7.5 per cent of the total, are still affected by complete school closures in 18 countries.
Several primary school head teachers in Kampala are opposed to the staggered way of reopening as proposed by the government for safe reopening that calls for having two learning shifts per day or having alternate days for the learners.
The learners had been scheduled to return to school on June 7, 2021, a day before the government announced a second lockdown. Before this, hospitals had recorded an overwhelming number of patients, and hundreds of them had been reported from schools, sending the lower primary classes further into slumber.
The directive follows a meeting that happened on Tuesday this week between president Museveni, ministries of education and of health and the Covid-19 national task force on the safe reopening of schools.
This project is aimed at enhancing the technology and skills of Ugandans to participate in strategic national infrastructure projects and manufacturing industries.
The victim identified only as Yona is a casual labourer working for China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd, the Chinese firm undertaking the construction of Kitgum Central Market. He was rushed for emergency medical treatment in critical condition.
Dr Kedris Turyagyenda, the head of the Directorate of Education Standards at the ministry said that parents should consider taking their children to schools that are closer to homes.
Ugandan learners have had more than 18 months of a distorted school calendar following closures that started in March 2020 and a staggered re-opening which was cut short in June 2021 after reports that COVID-19 cases had become rampant in schools. President Yoweri Museveni had earlier stated that schools would remain closed until children aged above 12 are vaccinated.
Wasswa, a senior correspondent with Deutsche Press Agentur (DPA), the German Press Agency,) was arrested on Thursday by security officers at Imperial Resort Beach Hotel, a facility that is hosting the 51 Afghan evacuees who arrived in Uganda on Wednesday. They are part of a group that is fleeing Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
While briefing the Parliamentary committee on Education and sports about the board challenges, the UBTEB, Executive Secretary, Onesmus Oyesigye, revealed that the board has a funding gap of 13.13 billion shillings hence affecting their calendar year programs.
Onesmus Oyesigye, the Executive Secretary UBTEB, says the trend has led to the self–exclusion of some training institutions from the board assessment.
Andrew Ockenden, the Development Director UK High Commission in Kampala said that Uganda is expected to receive an additional 3 million doses from the UK under the COVAX arrangement.
UCC spokesperson Ibrahim Bbosa, says they believe users are the first point of call in detecting and repelling the spread of fake news. He says they have been appealing to people to always first confirm what they come across before passing it to others. UCC, Bbosa says, has also been urging content creators to use social media responsibly.
Muhammad Makumbi Ssengooba, the headteacher Kisasi College says the school is admitting both Senior One and Five students physically. Makumbi explains that when public transport resumed, they started admitting the students on a physical basis with an admission fee of 50,000 for both levels.
Rose Akaki, the Principal Busubizi Primary Teachers College, says that apart from student teachers failing to carry out the mandatory school practice, they cannot also learn via online platforms like other institutions due to lack of the necessary facilities.
Lawrence Ssemujju, the deputy headteacher of City hill secondary school also says that they have so far lost five students from South Sudan. He notes that the resumption of studies in the neighbouring countries is making it hard for foreign students to continue waiting for the reopening in Uganda despite the fact that they cherish Ugandan education.
The value-added score is a system that is intended to reward the efforts of all schools by analysing extra issues away from the immediate results of the exam.
So far, 121 vehicles are held by the Uganda Revenue Authority in Custom-Bonded Warehouses, until they are cleared. The trucks are supposed to be distributed to local governments, to improve surveillance on COVID-19 and other future pandemics.
Scovin Iceta, who reports for NTV and the Daily Monitor told URN on Friday that police officers in Adjumani roughed him up on Thursday evening after spotting him taking pictures of a pregnant mother carrying boiled maize running away to evade arrest.
