As COVID-19 shows no sign of letting up, GEMS Cambridge International School, Kampala has announced that it will close effective December 31, 2020 on their way out of Uganda because they can no longer sustain operations.
“…the COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to affect families, businesses and the whole industries around the world – and our school is no exception. The pandemic and the resulting uncertainties have proved exceptionally testing, and our enrolment numbers have been severely impacted as well as our ability to sustain our operations, despite our best efforts.
“As a result of these circumstances, we have been forced to make some very difficult decisions, and it is with great sadness that I am writing to advise you that CIK will close after the first term of the new academic year, with 31 December 2020 as a tentative closure date,” a letter to parents and staff authored by Riz Ahmed, Chief executive officer, GEMS Africa, reads in part.
“This decision has been an incredibly hard one to make and comes as a last resort. Over the summer period, we have been assessing the impact of the pandemic whilst exploring options with our regulators. We have communicated this at the earliest possible time after exhausting all options. We know it will cause significant disruption to you and your family, and we will do whatever we can to lessen the impact and ensure the upcoming transition is as smooth and seamless as possible – both for you and your students and parents,” he goes on to say.
“We welcome our students to remain with us through term 1 with the option of enrolling in the remote learning offering at Hillcrest International School in Nairobi in Kenya, either now or at the start of term 2. We very much intend for all our staff to continue working and serving the school through until its closure date, and will endeavor to assist you with the next steps in your education career. For the remainder of your employment and during your notice period, you will be paid at the full rate of your salary, as per your employment contract.
Finally, let me reiterate how difficult this decision has been and that we have reached this conclusion after exhaustively exploring all other options. As a CIK community, you should all be proud of the many collective achievements over the years, which would not have been possible without you.”
