School closed for two weeks after students torch dormitory, laboratory
Students of St. John's Comprehensive SS, Lyantonde look at the destroyed property after some of their colleagues reportedly torched a dormitory and science lab Wednesday. PHOTO | GERTRUDE MUTYABA
What you need to know:
- On June 12, students at the same school staged a violent strike and destroyed properties including a perimeter wall, window panes, and a computer lab among other properties worth Shs41m.
Authorities in Lyantonde District have decided to close St. John’s Comprehensive Secondary School for a period of two weeks after students torched a Senior One boys’ dormitory and a science laboratory on Wednesday morning.
This was the second violent strike at the school in a space of one month.
On June 12, students at the same school staged a violent strike and destroyed properties including a perimeter wall, window panes, and a computer lab among other properties worth Shs41m.
According to Mr Godfrey Mbatejerize, the Lyantonde Resident District Commissioner, they have decided to close the school to resolve the issues causing recurrent strikes at the institution.
“We are aware that the second term is about to close and students have to write their end-of-term exams, but we have to first resolve all issues at hand,” he said in an interview on Thursday.
“It seems the students have issues against the administration, but we suspect that those who were suspended recently are behind this latest fire incident,” he added.
A total of 20 students who are suspected to be the ringleaders in the previous strike were expelled from the school.
Ms Kevin Kyolaba, the school head teacher, said their internal investigations had revealed that some stubborn students who do not want to study are behind the two successive strikes.
“That building which got destroyed was constructed by the parents through some small financial contributions to see that their children sleep well and also study sciences, but it is unfortunate that the stubborn students torched it,” she said.
Ms Kyolaba, appealed to students to provide information which will enable them to arrest those who torched the school buildings.
Mr Fisal Kagimu, a parent at the school, said the rampant strikes at the school may force them to withdraw their children and enrol them in other schools.
“Whenever such a problem happens, it is the parents who suffer, let the school administration diagnose this problem and find a lasting solution, we are tired of paying fines,” he said.
At least three other schools in Masaka sub-region have suffered similar violent strikes in the last month. These include; Blessed Sacrament Secondary School, Masaka, St. Gonzaga Secondary School, Kijjukizo in Lyantonde District, and Kaikolongo Seed School in Lwengo District.
