By Claire Owomugisha,
KAMPALA: President Museveni has hit back at the four-time presidential candidate Dr. Kizza Besigye for his recent opinion on the closure of schools.
Besigye recently said there is no reason that justifies the government keeping schools closed even after the easing of the lockdown.
‘’For Uganda to shut our schools for over a year is the most heinous crime. There is no justification for the measures that have been taken against schools. We’ve known children at least affected by Covid-19. Why should you shut down schools for knowledge acquisition because of Covid,’’ Besigye said.
He further said the closure of schools is a generational catastrophe. Furthermore, he said he aimed his address not at Museveni and his wife, but to the parents of/and the school-going children.
He said parents have to step up to avert this catastrophe and come up with a master plan that will not be made by NRM.
According to him, school-going children are the least vulnerable to Covid-19 therefore the government should open schools.
However, Museveni spoke on Thursday to mark the International Youth day at the Kololo Independence grounds.
He said by leaving schools closed, the government is well aware of what it is doing and needs no advice from anyone.
‘’The other day I heard my friend Dr. Besigye talking about the opening of schools… that schools should open…that these people don’t have a plan. he was saying government doesn’t have a plan that if we had immunized teachers, schools could open….okay thank you very much Dr. Besigye but you have not seen the problem through properly,’’ Museveni said
The president said teachers are on the priority list for the vaccination government is running. He said he thinks many of the teachers have by now already got the vaccine.
According to the president, it would still be dangerous to allow schools to reopen even if most teachers have been vaccinated.
This is because only a few of them are for only boarding section. This would mean that learners in day schools would infect their parents back home.
Source: Newslex point.
