The National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) has cautioned universities and other tertiary institutions against blocking unvaccinated students and staff when they reopen on November 1st.
Several universities have issued communications, noting that they will not allow any non-vaccinated students to attend lectures but Saul Waigolo, the NCHE spokesperson says blocking students without trying other options is unfair.
“The universities should first put up alternative options like opening vaccination centres at their campuses upon reopening and mobilizing students to vaccinate,” he said on Tuesday.
Makerere University, Uganda Christian University, Busitema, Kampala International University, Cavendish University to mention but a few have already put in place vaccination centres where students and staff are being vaccinated days before the reopening.
Universities and other tertiary institutions will be opening their gates to learners on November 1, nearly five months after the second closure of educational institutions as one of the measures taken by the government to forestall the spread of the coronavirus disease.
The suggested approach of vaccinating learners from the institutions upon return to their respective institutions of learning was employed by health training institutions when they reopened a few months ago.
The National Council for Higher Education requires that after time, the institutions must submit progress updates by providing the status on staff and student vaccination and details on resumption including how progressive learning has been managed.
NCHE also said that the Universities should ensure that the 2019 first year students’ progress to the next year of study since they have been stuck in the system close to two years now. Waigolo noted that this is part of the directives issued by Education Minister Janet Kataha Museveni.
