Uganda (MNN) — Uganda reopened its schools on January 10th for the first time since March of 2020. But not all students will return to classrooms.
Brian Dennett with AMG International says, “So many students are probably not ever going to go back to their education. Many took jobs to help support their families during this time and have now tasted an income. And those families have come to rely on that.”
Impact of a 2-year closure
Many schools won’t even reopen for financial reasons. Thousands of teachers have turned to other work to support themselves, and won’t come back to teaching.
The situation looks even worse for girls who became pregnant while schools remained shut. The long closure may undo decades of educational progress in the East African nation. Under 50 percent of students participated in any remote learning programs.
Future closures
And the schools may not even stay open. Dennett says, “The government has already indicated that if this next wave continues to take off, then they could reconsider the schools being open.”
Uganda does not have a high number of reported COVID-19 infections and hasn’t since the beginning of the pandemic. But Dennett says unreliable reporting most likely hides the true case numbers.
AMG schools
AMG operates several different schools in Uganda, including a nursing school. Dennett says, “Through some provisions for medical study, we were able to keep that open.”
The strategy looked different for primary through high schools, Dennett says. “We were able to send teachers out to communities and assist with their homeschooling.”
Pray many would find hope in Jesus through AMG’s ministry. Dennett says, “As we educate in our schools, we’re not just teaching. We’re also sharing the only hope we have, and that’s the hope found in Jesus. And it’s really the greatest thing we can do.”
Want to support these schools? Visit amghelps.org.
Header photo courtesy of AMG International.
