BY JOACKIM KULE
Students from Nyakatonzi Seed Secondary School in Nyakatonzi Sub-county, Kasese district yesterday morning stormed the sub-county headquarters in protest against the alleged poor sanitation at their institution.
The students mostly from senior one to senior five peacefully moved from the institution to the sub-county headquarters carrying placards written messages highlighting their plight including the need to have a new Head teacher posted to the school.
Some of the placards read in part, “We want to try a new Head teacher please, please we need support from you, our government, emergency help, we are tired and others.”
Some of the protesting students who talked to our reporter argued that their institution was bushy and with filled up pit latrines that needed emptying.
According to them, all the five stances that they use are no longer functional due to their sorry state. They therefore accused their Head teacher for allegedly not bothering to present the matter to government for redress.
He angry learners also told the press that they were not happy with the manner in which their Head teacher allegedly handles his staff in their presence as students. They claimed that the Head teacher could allegedly slap some of the teacher, hence making them embarrassed.
However, Mr. Gabriel Tumwebaze, the School’s Head teacher reported that all their complaints and allegations levied against him by the protesting students were not true.
He suspected that there could be other people with selfish interests who were luring the learners to strike against him in order for them to achieve their goals.
The Kasese Deputy RDC in-charge of Bukonzo County, who had visited the area for a community engagement, told the students to calm down as different stakeholders devise solutions to some of their challenges as well as investigating other accusations launched against the Head teacher.
He warned them against the practice of resorting to the violent means of striking including hitting the structures, damaging school property and blocking public roads.
The President’s Representative in the area led the protesting students back to their respective classrooms before holding a closed meeting with the accused Head teacher in his office.
By press time, Ms Harriet Masika, the Kasese District Inspector of Schools in-charge of Bukonzo County East had rushed to the school to ascertain if some of the complaints levied against the Head teacher were true.
ENDS