Please teacher may i go to the toilet?
IT reads like fiction. Not so much the act, but the person who directed and oversaw it all. In another weird act by a person that is supposed to mould our children into good citizens, Mary Nabakazzi, a mathematics teacher at Maleku Primary School reportedly stopped two primary four pupils from going
By Angela Ndagano
IT reads like fiction. Not so much the act, but the person who directed and oversaw it all. In another weird act by a person that is supposed to mould our children into good citizens, Mary Nabakazzi, a mathematics teacher at Maleku Primary School reportedly stopped two primary four pupils from going to the toilet during her lesson.
Unable to hold their bladder anymore, the duo retreated to the back of the class and eased themselves in empty mineral water bottles. Unfortunately, Nakabazzi allegedly saw them. They were instantly ordered to drink their urine amidst threats of worse punishments.
Although there is a Government ban on caning in school, many people were left wondering what would drive such a trusted custodian of society into committing such an absurd act.
What compels teachers to act the way they do?
Experts argue that a teacher may resort to such outrageous acts due to frustration. Henry Nsubuga, the president of the Uganda Counselling Association says such teachers have personal problems and “so may nurse their frustration on the children.†“Some of these teachers went through some kind of mistreatment in their lives but they have not gotten over it,†Nsubuga adds.
He, however, takes exception to sadists who naturally derive pleasure from seeing others suffer. Nsubuga recommends that schools should hold regular counselling services for teachers as a remedy to such acts. Faith Mbabazi, a lecturer in counselling psychology believes teachers like Nabakazzi are in the wrong profession.
“I do not believe such people have psychological problems. They simply do not like the kind of work they are doing,†Mbabazi says.
“To be a primary school teacher, you must have a passion for children. Children need a lot of patience,†she adds.
Psychological implications on the child
Most schools in Uganda follow strict timetables and pupils are supposed to spend a certain minimum number of hours in class and only visit the lavatories during break. However, experts believe that, while the drinking of urine is shocking, the children would have still been psychologically affected even if they had been simply denied to answer nature’s call. Anyone who has attended a Ugandan school is familiar with sitting in a classroom as they hope and pray for break time so that they can ease themselves.
While movements during lessons are not encouraged because they are distractive, experts argue that insisting that a learner holds urine is even a bigger distraction.
“A child cannot concentrate in class when the need to ease themselves arises,†says Nsubuga.
Nsubuga adds that once a teacher stops a pupil from easing themselves, they will spend half of the time contemplating whether to re-ask the teacher or not. Gaston Byamugisha a counselor at Kyambogo University echoes a similar view
“A child who wants to ease themselves will remain on tension as long as they are not given the chance go out’, he says.
“Some children take plenty of fluids before coming to class and you cannot say you will regulate the time they have to use the toilet,†Byamugisha notes. He adds that it is hard for children to control their bladder so they can easily urinate on themselves leading to humiliation, an incident that can cripple a child’s self-esteem.
“Short calls are a natural demand. When you restrict children from moving out, they become uncomfortable,†says Simon Kitansenge, the deputy headmaster of Iganga Boys.
“Some teachers expect children to stretch their patience to break time; break time was put there for relaxing not for short calls,†he adds.
Health implications
Although it sounds minute, depriving a child of a right to ease himself/herself is held responsible for a myriad of health complications.
According Dr. Sabrina Bakeera Kitaka, a paediatrician at Mulago Hospital, holding urine can damage the bladder.
“School children, especially those in nursery and primary school, should be allowed to void the bladder regularly. It prevents bladder control problems in the futureâ€, she says.
Besides weakening the bladder, Kitaka says holding urine can spark urinary tract infections.
“Urine is a waste product; it contains bacteria that have to leave the body. Holding back the urine means the bacteria is being let back into the body to cause infectionsâ€
The way forward
According to Kitaka, there is nothing like a minimal or maximum duration for which a child should contain urine.
“As long as the child feels the urge, they should void the bladder immediatelyâ€
Martha Nambuya, a teacher at White Angels Primary School advises teachers to allow children to ease themselves in an organised way.
“In my class, I do not let children leave in many pairs; they go out one at a time, depending on who sought permission first. This way, they are in position to come back into class rather than derail into games,†she says.
Joseph Wabwire, a teacher at Main Street Primary School in Jinja urges teachers to identify children who cannot tame their bladders to guard against embarrassing them before their peers.
“Naturally, there are those children with weak bladders who should be let out of the class without any complicated procedures,†he says.
IT reads like fiction. Not so much the act, but the person who directed and oversaw it all. In another weird act by a person that is supposed to mould our children into good citizens, Mary Nabakazzi, a mathematics teacher at Maleku Primary School reportedly stopped two primary four pupils from going to the toilet during her lesson.
Unable to hold their bladder anymore, the duo retreated to the back of the class and eased themselves in empty mineral water bottles. Unfortunately, Nakabazzi allegedly saw them. They were instantly ordered to drink their urine amidst threats of worse punishments.
Although there is a Government ban on caning in school, many people were left wondering what would drive such a trusted custodian of society into committing such an absurd act.
What compels teachers to act the way they do?
Experts argue that a teacher may resort to such outrageous acts due to frustration. Henry Nsubuga, the president of the Uganda Counselling Association says such teachers have personal problems and “so may nurse their frustration on the children.†“Some of these teachers went through some kind of mistreatment in their lives but they have not gotten over it,†Nsubuga adds.
He, however, takes exception to sadists who naturally derive pleasure from seeing others suffer. Nsubuga recommends that schools should hold regular counselling services for teachers as a remedy to such acts. Faith Mbabazi, a lecturer in counselling psychology believes teachers like Nabakazzi are in the wrong profession.
“I do not believe such people have psychological problems. They simply do not like the kind of work they are doing,†Mbabazi says.
“To be a primary school teacher, you must have a passion for children. Children need a lot of patience,†she adds.
Psychological implications on the child
Most schools in Uganda follow strict timetables and pupils are supposed to spend a certain minimum number of hours in class and only visit the lavatories during break. However, experts believe that, while the drinking of urine is shocking, the children would have still been psychologically affected even if they had been simply denied to answer nature’s call. Anyone who has attended a Ugandan school is familiar with sitting in a classroom as they hope and pray for break time so that they can ease themselves.
While movements during lessons are not encouraged because they are distractive, experts argue that insisting that a learner holds urine is even a bigger distraction.
“A child cannot concentrate in class when the need to ease themselves arises,†says Nsubuga.
Nsubuga adds that once a teacher stops a pupil from easing themselves, they will spend half of the time contemplating whether to re-ask the teacher or not. Gaston Byamugisha a counselor at Kyambogo University echoes a similar view
“A child who wants to ease themselves will remain on tension as long as they are not given the chance go out’, he says.
“Some children take plenty of fluids before coming to class and you cannot say you will regulate the time they have to use the toilet,†Byamugisha notes. He adds that it is hard for children to control their bladder so they can easily urinate on themselves leading to humiliation, an incident that can cripple a child’s self-esteem.
“Short calls are a natural demand. When you restrict children from moving out, they become uncomfortable,†says Simon Kitansenge, the deputy headmaster of Iganga Boys.
“Some teachers expect children to stretch their patience to break time; break time was put there for relaxing not for short calls,†he adds.
Health implications
Although it sounds minute, depriving a child of a right to ease himself/herself is held responsible for a myriad of health complications.
According Dr. Sabrina Bakeera Kitaka, a paediatrician at Mulago Hospital, holding urine can damage the bladder.
“School children, especially those in nursery and primary school, should be allowed to void the bladder regularly. It prevents bladder control problems in the futureâ€, she says.
Besides weakening the bladder, Kitaka says holding urine can spark urinary tract infections.
“Urine is a waste product; it contains bacteria that have to leave the body. Holding back the urine means the bacteria is being let back into the body to cause infectionsâ€
The way forward
According to Kitaka, there is nothing like a minimal or maximum duration for which a child should contain urine.
“As long as the child feels the urge, they should void the bladder immediatelyâ€
Martha Nambuya, a teacher at White Angels Primary School advises teachers to allow children to ease themselves in an organised way.
“In my class, I do not let children leave in many pairs; they go out one at a time, depending on who sought permission first. This way, they are in position to come back into class rather than derail into games,†she says.
Joseph Wabwire, a teacher at Main Street Primary School in Jinja urges teachers to identify children who cannot tame their bladders to guard against embarrassing them before their peers.
“Naturally, there are those children with weak bladders who should be let out of the class without any complicated procedures,†he says.