Three schools closed after students clash
Students of Koboko Public Secondary School leave with their luggage after the institution was closed by the authorities on Tuesday over a strike. PHOTO/RONALD ACEMA
What you need to know:
- Students from two schools launched two attacks against another school, destroying property. Several students were injured.
- 28: Schools that have witnessed strikes in West Nile since Feb.
The authorities in Koboko District have closed three schools following clashes between students. The affected schools are Nyagilia Secondary School,Koboko Parents Secondary School, and Koboko Public Secondary School.
The deputy head teacher-in-charge of administration at Koboko Public Secondary School, Mr Mathew Gabu, yesterday said students of Nyagilia Secondary School and Koboko Parents Secondary School first invaded Koboko Public Secondary School on Tuesday at 2am but were repulsed . They launched another attack at 5am.
Several students were injured and property at Koboko Public Secondary School destroyed .
The reasons for the attack remain unclear but some sources, who did not want to be named in order to speak freely, said the three schools have had a long-standing feud over football and athletics competitions.
“The students of Nyangilia ran back after the students of Koboko came out. We quickly intervened and we called a meeting and calmed the situation,” Mr Gabu said.
He added: “The students of Nyangilia SS came back for the second time and did massive destruction to school property at around 5am.We informed the police but they arrived late when a lot of destruction was already done.”
Mr Gabu said they recovered a meal card bearing the names of a student of Nyangilia Secondary School and impounded a jerrycan of petrol, which the invaders intended to use to burn Koboko Public Secondary School.
The invading students destroyed glasses of the administration block, staff room, dormitories, chain link fence, a newly constructed latrine, among others.
DON'T MISS: Schools closed over strikes
The West Nile police spokesperson, Ms Josephine Angucia, said: “The three schools were closed in order to pave way for investigations and to enable them to reorganise themselves. We have observed that administrators of these schools are enablers of the students and they could have partly incited them to fight.”
The Koboko Municipality education officer, Mr David Kenyi, said: “We have tasked all the affected leaders of the different schools to sit at their level and come up with their findings. These experiences will be presented jointly in a stakeholders meeting. But what I know is our parents are not playing their roles well in nurturing children.”
In the past one month, at least 28 schools have witnessed student strikes, leading to the closure of about eight of them.
