Sseke Secondary school in Lwengo district has re-opened after it was closed two weeks ago following a violent students strike. Police closed the school after students went on rampage to protest the alleged theft of window panes by the top school administrators, poor meals, unfair expulsion and tribalism. They vandalized the newly constructed classroom block, destroyed property worth millions of shillings and demanded the sacking of their head teacher Hakim Rugasa, his deputy Twaibu Kitimbo and the school bursar Ali Kiruuta.
As a result, anti riot police rushed to the school and dispersed the students. This forced Lwengo district education officials led by Doreen Ankunda and Simon Peter Wafana, the Southern Region Police commander to close the school and order all students to return to their home until their concerns are addressed. However, this morning the school re-opened on a slow pace with students reporting for studies with the disputed administrators still in charge despite the strike.
Musa Mutebi Babumba, the Chairperson Sseke Management Board says the management agreed to re-open the school following a meeting with parents to allow students sit their mock examinations and end of term exams. Mutebi said they will not sack any administrators as demanded by the students because they were found to be innocent. He says there is no evidence linking the head teacher to the theft of window panes as alleged by the students, saying the window panes are safe in the school stores.
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He says the 300 students in the boarding section have been allowed to return to school with 10000shillings to help buy new window panes to replace all those destroyed during the strike. Hakim Rugasa, the embattled headmaster denies stealing any window panes saying that he was not in charge of the glasses in the first place.
Rugasa, who has been the school head teacher since 2003, accuses some teachers of inciting the students to strike over minor issues. He says they have set up a committee to investigate all those who incited the students to strike and deal with them accordingly.
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By Monday afternoon, only a handful of the students had reported back to school. Some students who declined to reveal their names to URN for fear of being penalized by the school administration say that will resume the strike unless their demands are addressed.
A senior three student told URN that their head teacher must reform and improve his management skills if he is to remain at the school. The student accused Rugasa of being a despot because he does not listen to the students concerns. Sseke secondary school is Muslim founded school ,which has 300 boarding students and an estimated 1000 day scholars.
