Parents protest diocese's move to close the school

Parents of Bishop Central Primary School in Mukono Municipality Monday pounced on a fence surrounding the school and destroyed part of it accusing Mukono diocese of a plot to close it.

The incident happened after the Mukono Municipality principal assistant town clerk, Alex Sseruwagi Nanyonga failed to allay parents' fear that the school would be closed.

Instead Nanyonga read to parents the recommendations made by the Ministry of Education on the diocese's plan to close the school.

"Being the founding body, the Church will be able to close this school after putting in place all the requirements as the ministry directed. We just want them to follow the right procedures," she said.

The school was closed last November on the directives of Bishop James Williams Ssebaggala of Mukono diocese, saying the diocesan Synod had agreed upon that stand.

In the same locality at the diocese's headquarters, Church of Uganda has three primary schools of Bishop West, East and Central.

Bishop Ssebaggala said the church was forced to reorganise the administration of these schools which were started in 1910 following their poor performances over the years.

Ssebaggala said he had no need of keeping in place three day schools in the same locality which were poorly performing.

In yesterday's stormy meeting, parents voiced concern that they had already taken their pupils to other schools following the church's announcement of the closure.

However they were taken aback when the municipal town clerk Innocent Ahimbisibwe, through the media, informed them that the school had not closed.

Ahimbisibwe told New Vision on February 22, the first day of the term, that the school couldn't be closed citing a number of irregularities in the move by the church.

Parents barking at Mukono Municipality assistant town clerk, Alex Nanyonga as she was running out of the meeting.

Ahimbisibwe said that Bishop East School which has over 400 pupils cannot accommodate the over 700 pupils from Bishop Central and some from Bishop West according to the available resources including the classrooms.

He added that the council session must sit and pass the resolution to close the school after it is convinced by the move.

Ahimbisibwe also said that they must first find the teachers alternatives and the head teacher of Bishop Central before it is closed to avoid legal implications if it is just closed before assigning them new working stations.

Parents barking at Mukono Municipality assistant town clerk, Alex Nanyonga as she was running out of the meeting.

Parents alleged that Ahimbisibwe could have been compromised by the church hence absenting himself from the meeting he called and instead delegated his deputy.

"I want the church of Uganda to agree that they are the founders of this school but it is now owned by the parents and the government. It started it and failed to facilitate it hence surrendering it to the government. It is not in order for the church to overlook us," said one of the parents, David Erima.

Margaret Luyombya said parents were supposed to be given more than two years to prepare themselves as they looked for other schools to take their pupils.

"If a landlord gives his tenant time before sending him away even when he fails to meet the monthly dues, why didn't the church consult us first. We must be given a period of not less than two years before the school closes," said Luyombya.

Mukono Bishop Central Primary School parents destroying the fence which was put up by the church around the school.

Annet Nabakooza said Bishop East, a day section where the church is asking them to take their children is so expensive despite of its status of a Universal Primary Education school.

"I took their my child but I was asked to pay sh100,000 for the school fees, sh70,000 for uniform and sh20,000 for admission. Most of us cannot afford that money for more than one child," said Nabakooza.

She later failed to control the meeting hence calling it off before reaching the final consensus. Nanyonga and the reverends rushed out of the main hall as the parents were shouting at them.

The parents later went wild and destroyed the fence and the gate which were put up by the church around the school in question.