Pandemic in Uganda
Pandemic in Uganda
According to UNICEF, around 1.6 billion children have remained out of school because of the pandemic, 15 million of which are Ugandans. Whereas a small percentage of fortunate children are able to keep learning through digital means, disadvantaged children do not have access to remote learning and suffer even more from school closures (e.g. in Uganda only 18% of households have access to electricity). Moreover, children with no access to education material will face a higher risk of not returning to schools at all. All of this will surely increase already important inequalities throughout the whole country. In addition to the lack of material, parents often struggle to teach their children properly and after having had their children at home for an extended period, many parents are likely to even lose interest in schooling their children…
After waiting for seven long months, candidate classes (i.e. crucial years in Uganda) of both primary and secondary schools will start reopening. They will follow a shortened and compact programme hoping to make up for lost months. However, it is very likely that the delay in their studies will have long term effects for them and their country. For now, we can only hope that all the other degrees will soon start reopening as well.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Rise Uganda has been supporting alternative ways of learning and growing for children by paying for school equipment and promoting regular lectures in communities that need it the most. You can help us finance material and school interventions in order to help some of the children that will remain out of school for the rest of 2020.