Kampala, Uganda | URN | The Government of Uganda has warned tertiary institutions against allowing unvaccinated students to attend classes.
On Monday, the institutions resumed following several months of closure following the outbreak of COVID-19.
In September, President Yoweri Museveni cleared Universities and other higher institutions to reopen on the condition that all the staff both teaching and non-teaching, and students are vaccinated.
Dr Monica Musenero, the Minister for Science and Innovations who is also a member of the national COVID-19 task force, asked all institutions to abide by the President’s guidelines.
According to Dr Musenero, the learners were given adequate time to get vaccinated. She insisted that vaccines are accessible in many centres across the country.
Dr Musenero said that a team has been dispatched to several institutions to ensure that the guidelines are adhered to.
Tertiary institutions on Monday 1, November 2021 turned away COVID-19 unvaccinated students.
The institutions opened their gates to students after months of closure following the outbreak of COVID-19.
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At Kyambogo University for instance, as early as 7:00am, students and staff started arriving at the different gates of the institution, only to be told that only those with university identification cards and COVID-19 vaccination cards will access the university premises.
“No vaccination cards, no entering, whether you are a staff or a student. If you don’t have the documents please better go back home,” a Local Defence Unit (LDU) personnel announced.
On Friday 29, October 2021, Dr Pius Coxwell Achanga, the Director Quality Assurance National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) asked the institutions to put in place guidelines based on their capacity.
Saul Waigolo, the spokesperson of NCHE says vaccination is a priority to all institutions and they should abide by the guidelines.
The government is targeting to vaccinate 31,000 students above 18 years and 550,000 teachers.