More than 50 foreign pupils of Leos Junior School in Masaka are stranded following a fire outbreak at the school in which five pupils were killed on Wednesday. Some of the affected pupils are from Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania.
Ely Kiyingi, the head teacherof school says that following the fire incident most local parents picked up their children leaving the foreign pupils.
Kiyingi explains that the school management had resolved to retain all primary seven candidates since they are approaching the examination time but dropped the idea after parents picked up their children. He says that they have decided to stop lessons and wait for local pupils to report back because they may lose out. He is however, worried that some of the parents may not return their children because they were indebted to the school, adding that this is likely to affect the operations of the school.
Violet Anna, a primary seven pupil from Tanzania, says that after the tragic incident most of her Ugandan classmates were picked up by their parents. She says that her parents didn’t come to pick her up because she is in the candidate class and is due to write her mock examinations. Anna says despite the fact that they stayed back, they are not being taught as the teachers wait for their classmates to return. She says the decision to stop lessons has affected them greatly, adding that this could also affect their performance in the final examinations.
Rahuman Juma Daaral, a primary 5 pupil from Tanzania, who was residing in Damiano dormitory that was burnt, couldn’t hold back his tears after one of his friends, Timothy Nsubuga died in the fire. Daaral says that his property was also burnt.
He appeals to police and the concerned authorities to make thorough investigations into the cause of the fire which claimed the life of his friend. Investigations into the cause of the fire are still ongoing.
Kiyingi and the director Leonard Serwanja, who were arrested for questioning, are out on police bond.
