The association of Nursery Teachers known as Early Childhood Development Association of Uganda has faulted government for allowing international elementary institutions to re-open at the expense of local nursery schools and yet no single toddler has succumbed to COVID-19.
In a petition to the speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga, the leader of the association Manuela Mulondo said that according to world Health Organisation and scientific researches, it's not true that children under 6 years old are prone to COVID-19 respiratory complications as claimed by Minister of education Janet Museveni in her February speech to the Nation about opening infant schools.
Mulondo add that they have conducted a sample study in countries where nursery schools have been fully opened like S.Africa, Thailand, Denmark and Egypt and studies indicated  that children below the age of six years haven't been affected or died.
"Children less than 10 years old were less infectious than older ones and students to student's spread was rarer while transmission among staff to staff was most common." Mulondo said
They now appeal to Government to reverse its earlier decision and reopen the pre-primary schools so the children of the common person can also study.
One of the petitioners Estella Kabagaya also noted that the indefinite closure of the nursery schools has heavily impacted on women who work in markets with their children who would be in schools.
The Education Minister Janet Museveni said nursery schools handling children aged three to six will remain closed throughout the COVID-19 season.
She explained that this particular age bracket doesn't wear face masks and are at high risk of contracting respiratory infections like corona virus, but the association says that the study conducted showed that the ability for young children to wear or not wear a mask in this age group plays a limited role of transmission of COVID-19.