FILE PHOTO: Reopening of schools in Uganda still on hold as the country grapples with a surge in Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases.

Photo credit: Anadolu Agency

Schools and institutions of higher learning in Uganda still remain closed as the country grapples with a surge in Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, a senior government official said on Monday.

Alex Kakooza, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Education and Sports, tweeted that only candidate classes and finalists in institutions of higher learning were open.

The rest will wait until the government reaches a decision on when to re-open, he said.

“Contrary to media reports, the government has not yet agreed upon the re-opening of schools and higher institutions of learning for non-candidate classes,’’ Kakooza said.

In October 2020, Uganda re-opened candidate classes, seven months after the government closed all schools, colleges and universities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of Saturday, the country had a cumulative total of 39,149 COVID-19 cases, 13,861 recoveries and 317 deaths.

Uganda reported its first COVID-19 case on March 21, 2020.