Police have closed St. Paul’s Kagongi seed school in Kashari County in Mbarara district to prevent a violent strike by students. Police took over the school on Sunday evening following threats by the students to strike because of a disagreement with their head teacher.
Kenneth Muhirwe, Mbarara district police commander says that he was forced to deploy around the school after receiving information that the students were planning to wreck havoc and set the headmaster’s car a blaze. The students are demanding immediate transfer of Silver Bamuroho, the school head teacher they accuse of being a dictator. Some of the students who spoke to URN on condition of anonymity accuse the head teacher of failing to organize for them dances as has been the culture after every parent’s day meeting.
Bamuroho does not believe the students are protesting because of his failure to organize for them a dance party, since no party has been held at the school since he took over. Without giving any names, Bahoro says he believes the students are acting under external influence. He says that as a result of the tension in the school they were ordered by the commissioner for secondary education John Agaba to close the school until further notice.
The school was deserted by this afternoon, when URN visited. Only a few policemen could be seen patrolling the school premises. Father John Leona Mugaiga, chairman St. Paul’s Kagongi seed school says that they will hold a meeting later to decide on the fate of the students.
