Declare dead academic year – Fagil Mandy

As learners at all academic levels across the country are tirelessly looking forward to when schools and Universities will be re-opened, educationalists are weighing the effectiveness of a dead year than opening schools when the situation is still intact.

Fagil Mandy, a Consultant on Inspection in Uganda’s Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) and former Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) Chairperson, says it would be wise for government to declare a dead year in a bid to save lives.

Mandy, the educationist, says 2020 academic year that has been severely hit by the novel coeronavirus pandemic can be foregone and learning can wait as long as health comes a top priority.

He added that scholars need not to worry about a dead year but rather think of safety of their lives.

“I do not agree that we should just send children back to school. Apart from distancing, wearing masks and social distancing, we do not know so much about Coronavirus. We should not worry about a dead year provided we are safe.” Mandy said.

The Educationalist Mandy added that education is more than just classroom alone, but having survival skills in a life post-classroom.

“Education means having survival skills. Your teenager child should be able to listen to you. Persuade and get them to listen to you” he says, advising parents.

His opinion has since attracted mixed reactions the public some of which, criticize Mr. Mandy for thinking in a ‘one-way direction’ because, according to them.

“He din’t consider other stakeholders in the education sector such as private school teachers and non-teaching staff who have been severely pressed financially for the past 3 months when schools were closed” Critics said.

Meanwhile, during the national update on the status of the sector during the pandemic, Education and sports Minister Janet Kataha Museveni noted that government has allowed universities to take on E-learning as a mode on teaching during this pandemic.

Minister Kataha added that government is still on the track to procure radios and televisions to ease learning for pupils and students in all villages of the country as earlier said by the president.

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni directed the closure of schools from March 20^th 2020 in a move he said was to save 15 Million Ugandans from dying of the novel coronavirus.

To date, Uganda has registered 939 cases and 891 recoveries. It also has a total of 192 active cases on admission including 167 Ugandans, 25 foreigners and 5 refugees.