Police have maintained heavy presence at Dr. Obote college Boroboro in Lira City following a student’s strike on Tuesday night. It came after the students rampaged and demolition part of the school perimeter wall on the East and Northern sides destroyed security cameras and window panes among other school properties.
Police arrested 90 students in connection to the strike. According to the school authorities, the students wanted to leave the school for holidays before the planned break off on Friday despite the fact that most of them started writing end of term exams on Monday this week.
However, some of the students claim that there was misinformation among students who believed they were supposed to be released for holidays without doing exams. Robert Ogwal, a senior 5 student says that the miscommunication between perfects, teachers and students is to blame for the strike.
Regan Okwir, a senior three student claims that teachers at the school have been disciplining them unnecessarily and inviting police officers to beat them up.
But Jasper Abura, the Lira City Education Officer believes that some ill-mannered individuals are influencing students from traditional schools like Dr Obote College to strike in order to destroy the schools.
Dick Alengo, the headteacher of the school, says that the students are well-taken care of just like a parent would do at home. He says that the teachers will organize to help the students to do exams before they break for holidays.
Jimmy Patrick Okema, the North Kyoga Police Spokesperson explained that the 90 students who were arrested have been released to give them time to do exams.
He said security deployment at the school will continue to monitor the situation until when they are sure of sanity.
Lawrence Egole, the Lira Resident City Commissioner explained that security decided to ensure that all students including those who were arrested sit exams. “They all want to go home but as security, we have seen that it is important for them to remain and complete exams. They needed to be talked to and we have just talked to them and they have understood and now they know the importance of staying in school and that April 8th is not a day for everybody to break,” he said.
Students strikes, which have led to the destruction of school property have rocked Lango’s sub-regions in the recent past. Four schools registered strikes in the last month. The latest strike was in Amigo Agro Technical School where 11 students including the guild president and an instructor were arrested and released on police bond.
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