Uganda’s Ministry of Education has cautioned parents against packing sanitizers for their children who are scheduled to report back to school later this week.
According to a report by Ugandan newspaper, the Daily Monitor, the ministry is of the opinion that giving students alcohol-based sanitizers could breed drug abuse.
Benson Kule, the commissioner at directorate of education standards, said in an interview with the newspaper that students could take advantage of the situation to swap sanitizers for alcohol without alerting teachers.
“Learners are young people. They should be protected. Some will be carrying waragi (gin) saying it is a sanitiser and you will not be able to tell. You will end up with a drunk school,” said Kule, adding that the sanitizers could only be used by teachers and in offices.
Uganda’s schools have remained shut for months in efforts to curb the spread of the virus in the country.
By Tuesday evening, the East African country had reported 9,945 confirmed COVID-19 infections with 95 deaths.
As schools open however, authorities have cautioned that any resurgence in cases will force the learning institutions to close once again.
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