In short
At least seventeen students of Adumi Secondary School have been arrested and detained at Arua Central Police Station for participating in a strike that led to destruction of school property.
At least seventeen students of Adumi Secondary School have been arrested and detained at Arua Central Police Station for participating in a strike that led to destruction of school property.
The Wednesday night strike followed another one during the day that was staged by a group of students who missed porridge during breakfast. Following the strike, the school administration led by Dante Adrabo, the deputy head teacher informed the police that arrested some of the students.
By the time police arrested at least 17 students, they had already destroyed school properties such window shutters and doors in the administration block and the remains of the kitchen that was earlier on vandalized by those who missed porridge.
The second strike was sparked off by the decision by the school administration to suspend at least 12 students.
Josephine Angucia, the police spokesperson for West Nile, says the seventeen students now in police custody were the ones identified by their colleagues as the ring leaders of the both strikes though they were not immediately identified and suspended in the first group.
She says investigations into the strike are ongoing and once they are found to have participated in the strike, they would be charged with malicious damage to property and taken to court. She says this would teach a lesion to other students who would want to engage in strikes because it leads to destruction of property.
But Arua district education officer (DEO), Nicholas Tembo, who ordered the closure of the school, insists that police should not only investigate the students’ action but the actions of the school administrators because it seems there was negligence on their side. He wondered how students would miss porridge when the administrators know the number of students in the school.
Dante Adrabo, the deputy head teacher, however, explained that the shortage of porridge was caused by increased number of students who had returned from home after they were sent for school fees. He says the decision by the DEO to ask police to investigate them is also good because it will make parents know the truth.
Adumi becomes the second secondary school in Arua district to be closed within one due to students’ strike. St. Joseph’s College Ombaci was closed late last week after students rejected their head teacher accusing him of corruption and mismanagement of school resources.
The Wednesday night strike followed another one during the day that was staged by a group of students who missed porridge during breakfast. Following the strike, the school administration led by Dante Adrabo, the deputy head teacher informed the police that arrested some of the students.
By the time police arrested at least 17 students, they had already destroyed school properties such window shutters and doors in the administration block and the remains of the kitchen that was earlier on vandalized by those who missed porridge.
The second strike was sparked off by the decision by the school administration to suspend at least 12 students.
Josephine Angucia, the police spokesperson for West Nile, says the seventeen students now in police custody were the ones identified by their colleagues as the ring leaders of the both strikes though they were not immediately identified and suspended in the first group.
She says investigations into the strike are ongoing and once they are found to have participated in the strike, they would be charged with malicious damage to property and taken to court. She says this would teach a lesion to other students who would want to engage in strikes because it leads to destruction of property.
But Arua district education officer (DEO), Nicholas Tembo, who ordered the closure of the school, insists that police should not only investigate the students’ action but the actions of the school administrators because it seems there was negligence on their side. He wondered how students would miss porridge when the administrators know the number of students in the school.
Dante Adrabo, the deputy head teacher, however, explained that the shortage of porridge was caused by increased number of students who had returned from home after they were sent for school fees. He says the decision by the DEO to ask police to investigate them is also good because it will make parents know the truth.
Adumi becomes the second secondary school in Arua district to be closed within one due to students’ strike. St. Joseph’s College Ombaci was closed late last week after students rejected their head teacher accusing him of corruption and mismanagement of school resources.
