Government Extends Academic Year to End in September

Ministry of Education and Sports has made adjustments in the school calendar to enable learners to complete their respective syllabi before being promoted to the next classes and they have changed its end from August to September.

The adjustment came days after the government announced a 42-day closure of schools, to control COVID-19 infections in the face of a second wave of the pandemic. Under the new arrangement, the lower primary classes that were scheduled to return to school on Monday, June 7, will now report on July 19, 2021, alongside the senior one class.

According to the new schedule, the said group of learners will study for six and half weeks and break off on September 3, 2021, while the senior two students will also report on the same day but break off earlier on August 13. After completing the 2020 academic year, the ministry has set September 20, 2021, as the new date for the beginning of the 2021 academic year. Previously, the new academic year was supposed to begin on August 9.

Alex Kakooza, the Education ministry permanent secretary, says adjustments have been made to ensure that all learners complete the revised school calendar for the academic year 2020 before being promoted to the next class.

"...the academic year 2020 will be completed and all learners, who will have attended classes as per the official revised calendar will be promoted,” the circular reads in part.

“To ensure equity in the provision of education in the country, no school shall carry out promotions outside the above time frames on the pretext that some learners had attended private lessons and are therefore ahead of the rest,” Kakooza noted.