GEMS Cambridge International School, Kampala (CIK), has announced it is closing operations in Uganda.

The announcement came on Wednesday through the school’s social pages,

“… 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,” said Riz Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer, GEMS Africa, in a letter to parents this Tuesday.

“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,” he added.

The closure of the school means parents/guardians of students looking elsewhere for Cambridge education.

Riz said the decision to close the Uganda branch 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 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,” he said.

“We are making available the option of enrolling at Hillcrest International Schools, Nairobi, Kenya, either at the beginning of term 1 in September 2020 through remote learning or for term 2 in January 2021 through remote learning or physical attendance at the school premises. Years 7 to 13 students will be offered boarding options when the physical school premises reopen in Kenya; this is expected to be at the start of term 2 in January 2021,” said Riz.