Angry parents on Thursday stormed Buwenda Church of Uganda primary school in Butenga Sub County, Bukomansimbi District and closed the school for poor performance.
Numbering about 40, the parents raided the school but the head teacher did not show up. They decided to lock her offices and classroom blocks and ordered children to go back home.
The parents led by one Joseph Mugenyi want the head teacher sacked or transferred for mismanaging the school and posting poor results during her stay in office. They say that in the 2011 Primary Leaving Examinations all the 54 candidates at the school got 36 aggregates an indication that Annet Nakato, the head teacher has not delivered.
Mugenyi says for the last 8 years that Nakato has been heading the school, they have been getting failures in the PLE. They now want Bukomansimbi district to take action.
He also accuses Nakato for failing to account for UPE funds, mismanagement and embezzlement of school properties. Mugenyi claims that the school lost over 50 hoes, 25 slashers and a wheel barrow which had been donated to them by a non governmental Organization Red Berna.
The Chairperson of the Parents Teachers Association, Matia Kirongooza also blames the head teacher for blocking PTA meetings in which they would have discussed school problems. Kirongooza says that for the last 8 years the head teacher has ignored parents’ meetings and storming the school to chase her away was the only option left for them.
Another parent, Sylvia Nambejja, alleges that every child has been paying five thousand shillings to construct a new pit latrine for the school but they were shocked to find their children still using the filled up latrines. Nambejja wants the head teacher to account for the money.
Nabukeera Hadija says that parents were forced to transfer their children to other schools due to poor performance. Nabukeera says that the school had an enrollment of 800 pupils but the number has dropped to 450.
During the protest, workers at school including Yowana Ssemanda, a security guard and Teopister Nabawanda who is a cook, joined the parents saying that Nakato has refused to pay them their salaries.
Semanda claims the school owes him five hundred thousand shillings as salary arrears for over four years while Nabawanda demands one hundred twenty thousand from the school.
The head teacher could not be traced for a comment because she did not turn up and her mobile phone was off.
However, the Bukomansimbi District Education officer, Patrick Zziwa blamed the parents for closing the school and urged them to be patient as the district investigates their allegations. Zziwa says that they had already reprimanded the said head teacher for poor performance and called upon parents to be calm.
He added that transfers for teachers and head teachers who have over-stayed in schools is in progress.
