Teachers rush for Covid-19 vaccination

A number of school heads Daily Monitor sampled across the country said they are ready for reopening since they have already started putting in place the required standard operating standards (SOPs) in advance. 

The national chairperson of Secondary Schools’ Head Teachers’ Association, Mr Martin Okiria Obore, said all the conditions government announced are attainable and all schools are heeding.

“Head teachers are ready, they have expanded sanitation facilities and cleaning of schools is going on. Many are also responding to vaccination. Since inspectors started moving around, schools have also started preparing,” Mr Okiria said.

He added: “There is a lot of anxiety on the side of the private sector since it is the opportunity they do not want to let go after what they have termed as long drought.”

Meanwhile, the executive secretary of the Uganda National Teachers Union (Unatu), Mr Filbert Baguma, said universal schools have to receive capitation grants to put in place required SOPs.

According to Mr Baguma, most of these schools are bushy, need to be fumigated and do not have any SOPs in place.
“Government should send this money in advance so that schools start to prepare. It should also be clear on the school calendar so that schools can prepare. People are just depending on hearsay,” Mr Baguma said.

The chairperson of the National Private Educational Institutions Association (NPEIA),  Mr Hasadu Kirabira, said they have instructed all private schools across the country to start putting in place requirements for reopening.

Mr Kirabira, however, asked government to certify schools as treatment centres and equip school nurses and doctors with skills to handle mild cases within schools.

Mr Augustine Muserero, a head teacher, said his school was inspected last week by district education inspector, whom he said was satisfied with what they found on ground.

“We still have the temperature guns, washing facilities and detergents we had procured before government closed schools. We are, therefore, ready for a phased reopening,” Mr Muserero said.

Mr Muserero, however, asked government to allow students in Senior One, Two, Three and Five to report first, complete this academic year and reopen normally for all learners in January next year, with new Senior Ones and Fives coming in. 

The head teacher of Busoga SS, Ms Oliver Nambi, said the school is bankrupt, and is waiting for a stimulus package from government to put in place SOPs.

“When government reopened schools after the first lockdown, it gave even private schools some money for SOPs. It should do the same this time. If they can send this in one week, we shall be ready,” Ms Nambi said.

The Kololo SS head teacher, Mr Edward Kanonya, said most of their teachers have been vaccinated and all the required SOPs have been put in place to welcome students back. 

“The Ministry of Education has been telling us to prepare for reopening and all the SOPs have been implemented as guided by the Ministry of Health.

According to Mr Kanonya, they are preparing enough class rooms to enable social distancing, prepare isolation rooms and put in place handwashing facilities.

In Masaka District, teachers turned up in big numbers for Covid-19 vaccination and  at one of the centres at Lions Nursery School at least 200 teachers had been vaccinated by Monday .

The district health officer, Dr Faith Nakiyimba, said they received 2,232 doses of Astrazenica and another 2,372 of Sinovac.

“We are targeting teachers and those who have to get their second doses ,we want them to be inoculated in time to enable schools to reopen,”  he said. 

Dr Nakiyimba said they are working closely with district education officers  to identify more vaccination centres so that they take  services closer to teachers and health teams will be going to these centres  at least once.

In Mpigi , a total of  2,030 dozes of Astrazenica and 2030 doses of  Sinovac  far so far been received .

“We also expect more doses through the ministry by tomorrow (today) .Vaccination is still going on and we are not only targeting teachers, but whoever comes , so long as is Ugandan  is free to come,” Dr Margaret Nanozi, the head of district Covid-19  vaccination exercise, said.

She said by Tuesday ,they had vaccinated 800 teachers out of 1,000 being targeted in the area.
In Buliisa District, Mr Godfrey Muhumuza, the head teacher of Kisansya Primary School, said they were prepared to reopen.

He, however, said a hailstorm deroofed several blocks at the weekend.

The district leaders told Daily Monitor that vaccination exercises for teachers in Buliisa District has also kicked off .

By press time, several teachers had been vaccinated at Buliisa Town Primary School. The district received 600 doses.

In Bundibugyo District, the head teacher of  Nyahuka Parents Secondary School, Mr Amon Kambere, said as private schools, they are struggling to put in place the required measures.

“We are struggling because we have accumulated debts since the first lockdown was announced,” Mr Kambere, said.
In Kamwenge District, the director Crown High school, Mr Silver Twesigye, said they have not yet paid the teachers their fees arrears.

“Some teachers still demand us salary arrears, which we have not paid because we depend on fees from student ,” Mr Twesigye, said.

He said the majority of the  teachers at the school  have also not been vaccinated.

Mr Aloysius Katureebe, a teacher at Crown High School in Kamwenge District, said since the lockdown started, he has never received any Covid-19 vaccine.

“I have tried to get vaccinated but I always  bounce whenever  I visit vaccination centres. I am not sure  if I will be vaccinated before the time of reopening,” he said.

In Kabarole, the acting district health officer, Mr Brain Kisembo, said they would begin vaccination exercises for teachers today.

Mr Kisembo said they received two brands of Covid-19 jab-- 2,387 doses of Cinovaca and 2,240 doses of Astrazeneca.

“We are targeting to vaccinate more than 1,000 teachers in Kabarole District and we shall be vaccinating them with Cinovaca vaccine,”  he said.

He said they have established two vaccination centres, one at Kyamara and Kiburara primary schools. 
In Adjumani, the district senior education officer,  Mr Phillip Akuku, said they are ready to resume classes once schools reopen.

Mr Akuku also said they have been mobilising teachers to receive their jab from two different designated centres.

“On Monday, many teachers turned up for vaccination exercises but the medical team did not show up. If vaccines are available by the time schools reopen, we are hopeful that 65 per cent of the teachers would be vaccinated,” he said.

Adjumani has 3,000 teachers, including support staff who are being mobilised for the vaccination. 
Statistics from the district education office indicate that at least 511 teachers were vaccinated by Monday.

In Koboko, Mr Tom Obeti, the head of Koboko Town College, said they were ready to receive the learners under all conditions.

“Maintaining learners within Covid-19 period is not something new, we are now used to it and so we are ready to receive the learners  even under the strict guidelines,” he said.

Mr Obeti said the school management had made it mandatory for all the teachers to be vaccinated and present their vaccination card first before reporting back to the school.

“Vaccination is one’s choice but however for us, we are going to ensure that all the teachers are vaccinated to avoid risking the learners,” he said.

In Mbarara, Mr Celestine Twinomugisha, the head teacher of St Kagwa Primary School, said 98 per cent of schools support staff and teachers have been  vaccinated.

“All the SOPs structures are well covered and are in touch with all the health facilities around so that when we get any case, it  can be easily managed,” he said.

Mr Dan Mugyenyi, the Bushenyi Ishaka municipality education officer, said was pertinent that the government sets the date of reopening. 

“The government should set the date because as schools, we are prepared and no teacher will be allowed in a classroom when not vaccinated,” Mr Mugyenyi said.

Mr Trevor Ayebazamukama, the director of Parental primary School Bushenyi, said out of 25 staff members 21 have been vaccinated.

“We are prepared but we may face challenges, especially on the implementation of SOPs such as getting sanitisers and other utilities because of lack of enough funds,” he said.

In Kamuli, the district inspector of Schools, Mr  Denis Lyada, said the district had secured handwashing facilities for 60 primary schools from Unicef. 

This, he said, was geared toward  boosting  school’s  preparedness in observing SOPs  to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

“Unicef has given us handwashing facilities and soap and the schools administrators have been contacted to collect them,” he said.

Mr Lyada said they had also mobilised to ensure schools are well positioned to handle the Covid eventualities.
“The district Covid taskforce has already asked the DHO (district health officer) to allocate health staff on standby per health centre to make surveillance, monitoring and regular health check ups of students when schools reopen,” he said. 

The director of Light Crest Secondary School MagaMaga in Mayuge District, Mr Bright Lufafa, said they are ready to resume studies any time the government announces. 

“We have everything in place that enables us to start because we have all the SOPs in place . We can’t delay  anymore because many students have dropped out because of teenage pregnancies,’’ he said.

Mr Lufafa said the teachers are ready to receive vaccination because it saves their lives and those of the students.
 “I have no objection to the vaccination issue and I have sensitised my teachers to embrace it,’’ he said.

The management of Buwenge Blue Day and Boarding Primary School in Buwenge Town Council in Jinja District, said the government should stop  delaying  school reopening.

In Tororo, the district education officer, Mr Albert Odoi, said unlike government aided schools, many of private owned schools don’t have enough classrooms, teachers, and furniture to enable them operate under strict observance of SOPs.

“As a district,  we are more ready to reopen our schools because it has been long awaited but this will mainly to our government aided schools with few private owned,” he said.

Mr Odoi said his office will send inspectors to assess the level of preparedness among private schools before they can be allowed  to reopen.

However, Ms Rose Ofwono, the head teacher of Special Plan Kindergarten and Daycare in Tororo Town, said government should not to put up  series of guidelines that may be costly for them to enforce.

“Some of us have outstanding water and power bills to offset, and it would be our prayer that government comes in to save us from this financial challenge,” she said.

In Mbale City, Mr Benjamin Tumusiime, the director of studies at Tower Primary School, said school had been able to get all its teachers vaccinated. 

“We have been preparing for the reopening of the school and we thank God that they finally accepted to reopen. We  have enough space for our children and also all teachers are vaccinated,” he said.

Mr Tumusiime added that as the school management, they have been able to make sure that SOPs are in place before the schools start.

“We have put all Covid-19 measures in place and also posts around the school to remind our pupils to observe the sops in school,” he said.

Mr Samuel Kiisa, the head teacher of St Mary’s SS Busamaga in Mbale City, said  so far,  20 of her staff are vaccinated .

“We are ready to receive the students and I am sure that by the end of today,  my other 10 staff will also have been vaccinated as well so that they can be able to start teaching in the coming two weeks,” he said.

Compiled by Damali Mukhaye,Fred Wambede, Alex Ashaba, Logino Muhindo  Andrew Mugati, Felix Warom, Taibot Marko, Rashul Adidi, Milton Bandiho, Felix Ainebyoona, Olivier Mukaaya, Joseph Omollo,  Opio Sam Caleb, Tausi Nakato, Abubaker Kirunda & Philip Wafula, Malik Fahad Jjingo &Brian Adams Kesiime.