By Mariam Namakula
The permanent secretary Ministry of Education and Sports, Alex Kakooza has revealed that the Ministry is in need of an extra shillings 20 billion supplementary budget to help them run the home care learning program during the 42 days partial lockdown.
Kakooza, who was talking to the District Focus, revealed that the Ministry had initially planned for the first lock down and not the second recently announced.
“We are still in need of money to provide learning materials to especially the lower pupils of Primary One to Four,” he said, stressing that the Ministry had started negotiating with the Ministry of Finance for the approval of supplementary budget.
Kakooza noted that the program especially catering for Primary Four to Five pupils had commenced on different electronic media (radio and television) platforms and will be running for the next four weeks. It will later on be spread to different media to connect with majority of learners at home.
They will also consider Primary Three pupils who did not get home-study materials. Initially President Museveni, on Wednesday 8 July 2020, directed that the Ministry of Finance approves a supplementary budget of shillings 336 billion to help procure 10 million radio sets and 137466 solar powered television , distribute them to different home steads to enable learners access different learning programs from home.
On the issue of double payment and school fees increment, Kakooza urged that private school desist from taking any extra fees from the parents especially those that had cleared before lockdown and that the matter was to be followed up after physical learning resumes.
“We urge all parents to report any cases of school fees increment, the Ministry will investigate the matter and act accordingly,” he said.
He also noted that the government was working on releasing the supplementary budget that was promised to the private school owners in order to revamp their businesses affected by Coronavirus.
