Education stakeholders call for safety and rest for learners in holiday season

21 August 2025, 5:20 pm

By Ronald Ssemagonja

As the second term officially comes to a close, parents have been advised to allow their children to rest and also engage them in age-appropriate activities during the holiday. The headteacher of Sheehan Standard Day and Boarding Primary School in Rubaga Division, Kampala, Kizito Joseph, said this while addressing journalists in Kampala.

Kizito expressed gratitude to God for enabling the school to complete the term without major challenges, noting that some schools had lost learners and parents during the term. “First and foremost, I want to use this opportunity to thank the Almighty God for enabling us complete this term successfully. We don’t take it for granted because it has been over 80 days. Our children have been very active at school and we appeal to parents to let them rest a bit but also teach them some work depending on their age. This term we have had mocks for candidates and they went well. We believe the more our candidates do these papers, the more confident they become as the Primary Leaving Examinations draw closer,” he said.

The headteacher also cautioned parents against keeping learners at home for weeks after the start of a new term, saying it disrupts learning. He advised parents facing financial challenges to engage school administrators rather than delaying their children’s reporting. “If it is about school fees, go to the school and explain to the headteacher because we are also parents and sometimes we too lack fees. But we go to the school and talk to the responsible administrator as we try to look for the money. Especially in private schools, we run on fees paid by parents and there is no way to run a school without it,” he explained.

Commenting on the issue of banning school trips, Kizito said trips should not be scrapped but instead be guided and regulated by the Ministry of Education, with input from stakeholders.

Meanwhile, the vice chairman in charge of administration at the Federation of Uganda Taxi Operators, Mayambala Mustafa, urged parents to take responsibility for picking their children from schools instead of leaving them to travel long distances alone. “I want to appeal to parents to please take responsibility of picking their children from schools to avoid unnecessary circumstances. I also confirm to the general public that during this time, we won’t increase the taxi fares because there is no need for that. For taxi drivers who use this period to carry passengers to places they don’t know, we warn them because unfamiliar routes sometimes result in accidents,” he said.