Uganda reopens schools, ending world's longest closure
Uganda reopened its schools to students on Monday after nearly two years, ending the world's longest school closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Schools across the East African nation of 44 million people have been fully or partially closed since March 2020, when the pandemic began. The closures affected more than 10 million learners, according to data from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Save the Children welcomed the reopening of Uganda's schools but warned that "lost learning may lead to high dropout rates in the coming weeks without urgent action."
![PHOTO: Pupils wear face masks as they attend class at Kitante Primary School in Kampala, Uganda , Jan. 10, 2022.](https://s.abcnews.com/images/International/uganda-schools-open-ap-ps-220110_1641823503123_hpEmbed.jpg)
The London-based charity revealed in a report last November that up to one in five children in low-income countries, including Uganda, had dropped out of school due to rising poverty, child marriage and child labor, which have been exacerbated by the pandemic. In a statement Monday, Save the Children warned of "a 'second wave' of dropouts as returning students who have fallen behind in their learning fear they have no chance of catching up."
To tackle the potential crisis in Uganda, Save the Children has launched "Catch-up Clubs," which assess children and teaches them at the required level to help them regain literacy and other learning, with child protection support and cash assistance for families struggling to send them to school.
"As schools begin to reopen across the country, it is critical that all girls and boys have access to the support they need to successfully return to the classroom," Edison Nsubuga, head of education at Save the Children in Uganda, said in a statement Monday. "Many children have fallen behind in school as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Children who are behind in their learning are less likely to unlock their potential as adults. However, when children receive the learning boost they need and have access to quality education, they can reach their full potential."