Parents to pay after Sebei College strike

arents will bear the full cost of repairing the buildings and security cameras destroyed by students during a strike at Sebei College Tegeres in Kapchorwa District, Daily Monitor has learnt.

The strike reportedly erupted after the school administration changed the programme of serving food last Friday.

It was allegedly started by Senior Four students, who have since been suspended by the management for two weeks.

Some students, who requested not to be named for fear of victimisation, said Senior Four students, because they are candidates, are usually the first to be served food.

“But on Thursday, the master on duty decided to serve other classes and asked them (S.4) to come last. This forced the students to strike,” one of the students said.

During an emergency meeting at the school on Saturday, the authorities said parents would have to take responsibility for the behaviour of their children.

The Deputy Resident District Commissioner (RDC) of Kapchorwa, Mr Martin Sakaja, said parents for all the affected students would pay costs of fixing the damaged properties.

“We had a parents’ meeting and the parents agreed that they would each pay Shs100, 000. The suspended students are reporting back on July 14,”he said.

The RDC, who also heads the district security committee, said windows and CCTV Cameras were destroyed by the students.

“The preliminary investigations indicate that some teachers played an active role in the strike,” Mr Sakaja said.

According to a July 5 suspension letter, the head teacher, Mr Johnson Limo, said: “I regret to inform you that a violent act led by all S.4 learners occurred …. on Thursday July 4, 2024 between 6:50pm-8pm leading to serious destruction of school buildings. The extent of the damage by the district engineer is being assessed and will be availed later.” 

The Sipi Regional Police Spokesperson, Mr Fredrick Chesang, said police were called in to eject the students from the school premises and restore sanity.

Ms Justin Chebet, a retired teacher, said she was disappointed by the students’ misconduct at the time they should be busy revising books.

A parent who requested not to be named, said the school made a hurried decision to suspend the students.

Past incident 

This is the second strike at the same school in less than two years. 
 
 On October 23,2023, the administration suspended about 800 students for two weeks for engaging in a violent strike. 

The strike erupted after the school administration reportedly failed to 
show the English Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester United.

  The school is located on Mbale-Sironko-Kapchorwa highway on Tegeres hill. 

Abbreviated by students as SECOTE, Sebei College Tegeres started as a junior school under then Kapchorwa County in Bugisu 
district local government and sabiny community in 1956.  
    It is a mixed secondary school that emerged in the 1980s as an academic giant in the sub-region.

The school was founded by the local government to educate the marginalised children of sebei Sub-region and surrounding areas.