Ministry of Education intensifies school inspection

The Ministry of Education and Sports has intensified the inspection exercise of schools and over 200 schools have been inspected in Kampala.

On a good note, the senior inspector of schools in the directorate of education standards, ministry of education, Stella Kambugu has confirmed that majority of the schools they have inspected have adhered to the set standard operating procedures (SOPs).

St. Paul Ggaba demonstration school is one of the government schools which were inspected on Wednesday.

At this school, COVID-19 prevention messages have already been displayed all over the compound where the pupils will be able to easily read them.

The classrooms have also been reorganized to ensure social distance.

However, Kambugu was not convinced with the arrangement of desks in some classrooms noting that they were too close to each other yet the agreed position was to ensure the social distance of two metres apart.

Special hand washing facilities for the pupils have also been set up in this school.

Apart from the private schools which have to hustle on their own to ensure that they implement the SOPs, Kambugu disclosed that a special conditional grant has been offered to government schools to support the implementation of SOPs.

Each school has been allocated sh1.5m to purchase foot-operated handwashing facilities, well-calibrated working temperature guns, backpack plastic spray pumps, disinfectant liquid, hand washing soap, and hand sanitizers with at least 60-80% alcohol for staff.

Kambugu maintained that only schools that will score 60% and above will be allowed to reopen, schools that will score below 50% will not be reopened and parents will be allowed to transfer the learners to other schools that meet the requirements.

However, schools which would have scored between 50 to 59 will be given one week to fully get equipped before they reopen

As schools comply with the SOPs, parents have been challenged to ensure that they fully clear fees for their children to enable the smooth running of schools.