GOMBE Secondary School in Mpigi district has closed following a violent strike from the students.
The Police from Gombe, Kibibi and Mpigi, who were deployed at the school on Sunday night, shot in the air to disperse the striking students.
The strike follows the students’ objection to attend a social party (dance) for the candidate students on Sunday. The school administration had permitted the students to attend the party from midday to 6:00pm at sh8000.
However, the students wanted the dance to end at midnight.
The students also objected to a school regulation to attend the party dressed in the school uniforms. The school with over 4,000 students by press time had several students stranded at the school waiting for transport. Police maintained tight guard.
A parent who talked to The New Vision said, “We have heard announcements on radio calling us to collect our students from the school.”
Another parent in Gombe said unruly students from the candidate classes invaded the home of the deputy headmaster, Twahir Kitezala, with pangas. However, Kitezala was not at home and the wife fled to the Police for rescue.
Some students also threatened to attack the girls’ hostel because they had refused to join them in the strike. Three policemen were deployed to guard the girls’ dorm.
The headteacher, Ali Mugagga, said, “The school has been temporarily closed because of the unruly students until the administration identifies the culprits.”
By press time, four students had been arrested and detained at Mpigi Police Station.
Candidates were told to report back on Thursday with their parents, while the rest were told to apply for re-admission.
The students are said to have destroyed the main hall, the library, the deputy headmaster’s house and teachers’ vehicles.
