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Educationists have asked the government to support online learning establishments in both government and private educational institutions.

They resolved that online learning is one of the ways that can be used to keep children in school in case any pandemic such as COVID-19 hits Uganda and the world at large.

Educationists revealed this during a seminar conducted about the impact of COVID-19 in the education sector and how it can be curbed at Childtimes Brookside Academy Kyaliwajjala Namugongo in Wakiso district on September 7, 2023.

Olga Mugerwa, a lecturer at Uganda Christian University (UCU) said that the Uganda National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) takes long to approve learning institutions that apply to operate through online learning which frustrates the on-line learning promotion in Uganda. 

“I am appealing to NCHE to not take long to approve the operations of learning institutions that apply to operate because the world is moving so fast in technology and it’s the way to go. I was personally asked to enroll for a certificate of online learning at the Uganda Management Institute (UMI) in 2014, but I saw it as a waste of time because I didn’t see how it would apply in Uganda. 

Six years down the road, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world and online learning came to pass to date,” Mugerwa said.

Fiona Mirembe Kiggundu, the director of Childtimes Brookside Academy said Uganda was among the countries whose education sector was severely affected by COVID-19.

“Globally, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic greatly disrupted the education systems, forcing learners to study online. Children who had no access to electricity and the internet were left out,” Kiggundu said.

She said education institutions in Uganda should create interconnectivity with those abroad through online learning so that they keep a continued education system and create a think tank to solve education problems in case a pandemic arises again.   

Pamela Adiam, a teacher, said the COVID-19 pandemic affected teachers as well and many abandoned the profession to do business, bringing a shortage of teachers.