GEMS Cambridge International School- Kampala Close Business
August 26, 2020
GEMS Cambridge International School, Kampala (CIK) has announced it will close business in Uganda in December over the Coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Riz Ahmed, the GEMS Africa Chief Executive Officer said it was inevitable for the school to close after being hit hard by the pandemic.
“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,” Ahmed said.
The Chief Executive Officer explained that the resulting uncertainties of the pandemic have been “exceptionally” testing made it difficult for the school to enroll new learners and consequently affected their operations.
The statement however noted that the school that was established in Uganda in 2013 will retain students through term one.
“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, Kenya either now or at the start of Term 2. We very much intend for all of our staff to continue working and serving the school through until its closure date, and will endeavour to assist you with the next steps in your education career.”
Government in March ordered for the closure of all educational institutions in the country to avoid the spread of Coronavirus and there are no hopes of having them reopened this year.
Read the letter:
Dear Colleagues,
I hope you and your families are well and continuing to stay safe.
GEMS Cambridge International School, Kampala (CIK) has been faithfully serving its community of students, parents and staff since we opened our school in 2013. During this period, we have continuously looked to raise the quality of education and opportunities for our students and we feel very fortunate to have educated hundreds of students over the past seven years.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to affect families, businesses and 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 CİK will close after the first term of the new academic year, with 31 December 2020 as a tentative closure date.
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 our students and parents.
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, Kenya either now or at the start of term 2. We very much intend for all of our staff to continue working and serving the school through until its closure date, and will endeavour 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.
Should you have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.
