Police seal off the administration block at St John’s Comprehensive Secondary School, Kaliro, after its window panes were destroyed during a students strike on on June 12, 2022. PHOTO/ MALIK FAHAD JJINGO
|20 students arrested in Lyantonde over strike
What you need to know:
- Officials also closed St John’s Comprehensive Secondary School for two weeks.
Security authorities in Lyantonde District have closed St John’s Comprehensive Secondary School, Kaliro, for two weeks to allow management to replace and repair some of the property destroyed during a students’ strike on Sunday night.
“The decision was taken during a joint meeting we had with the district security team on Monday evening. We cannot operate in its current state when most of the property is destroyed,” Ms Kevin Kyolaba, the school head teacher, said in an interview yesterday.
“The violent action by students is criminal in nature and we have left this matter to the police, the outcome of their investigations will inform our final decision on the ring leaders,” she added.
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On Sunday night, the students went on a rampage and destroyed school property worth millions of shillings over unknown reasons.
The destroyed school properties include a perimeter wall, windows panes, computer lab, among others.
A total of 20 students, suspected to be the ringleaders, have since been arrested.
Ms Kyolaba said as management, they are still in shock over what the students did because such a violent strike had not happened at the school before.
The Southern Regional police spokesperson, Mr Muhammad Nsubuga, said by the time police arrived at the school on early Monday morning, most of the properties had been destroyed.
“We want to find out what really prompted the students to engage in a destructive strike of this magnitude. Reports that the strike was prompted by the administration’s delay to open dormitories after night preps are not convincing,” he said in an interview. He said police are currently in charge of security at the school.
Background
Ever since students reported from a two-year Covid-19-induced lockdown on January 10, many secondary schools, especially those in northern Uganda, have suffered violent strikes, which have left infrastructure in many schools in shatters.
Available research suggests that students strike for various reasons, including poor nutrition, maladministration, poor teaching methods, poor communication, poor disciplinary implementation and demand for entertainment. Some students also reportedly go on strike under the influence of drugs and peer pressure.
