The impact of COVID-19 on education as a business investment

Abstract

When Uganda registered the first Covid 19 patient in the mid- March 2020, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni passed directives stopping all educational institutes from operating to control the rapid spread of corona virus in the country. However, the government and private educational institutes continued teaching students from their homes through using radios, televisions, newspapers and new media platforms (zoom, Google class etc) despite having some students living in places without clear signals for the aforementioned information and communication technologies. This prompted different education investors like Private Teachers` Print Companies to invest heavily in Uganda`s education sector. Therefore, this study examines the type of new investors in education sector during Covid 19 pandemic and how they sustain their business during Covid 19 lock down period. It also explores the challenges faced by education as a business during Covid 19 lock down period. This was a case study research design conducted in the first lock down period from 19th March, 2020 and15th October, 2020. Interviews were used to collect primary data from 19 education investors in Bwaise II, Kawempe Division. Descriptive analyses were used to interpret data collected. The study findings show that Covid 19 lock down period has negatively affected private education investors; private teachers` contracts were suspended and this forced them to start private teachers` printing companies to earn a living. The study recommends that, the government should support private schools through giving soft loans to both private school owners and private printing companies to enable them sustain themselves through the pandemic induced financial short comings.