Can violent strikes be excused?
Oct 17, 2004
<b>Ministry gives up on strikers</b><br>By John Eremu<br>NABUMALI High is the latest in the growing list of schools burnt down by students. Whatever the cause, destruction of property is the worst form of expressing grievances and only mad people may support this.
Ministry gives up on strikers
By John Eremu
NABUMALI High is the latest in the growing list of schools burnt down by students. Whatever the cause, destruction of property is the worst form of expressing grievances and only mad people may support this.
As a drastic measure, the ministry of education and sports has withdrawn the protection of candidates implicated in strikes.
“If you burn down a building, you cease to be an ordinary student but a criminal,†Nsubuga said.
“In the past we have always protected the candidates, allowing them to come back and sit the final examinations. But if the candidates themselves participated (as is believed in the Nabumali case), why should they be protected,†he warned.
Nsubuga said a team from the Education Standards Agency was at the weekend due to visit Nabumali to assess the extent of the damage.
Nsubuga condemned the strike saying the ministry last year spent over sh150m sensitising students on the dangers of strikes and implored them to use other methods like writing anonymous letters to air grievances.
Strike leaders are terrorists
By Eriya Murana
The burning of Nabumali High School October 11 by some reckless students has left a number of us grieving.
It may take a long time before the actual cause of the strike is known. But the complaint by the lead girls that one borehole was inadequate for the whole school is not convincing. The water problem has been on for long and why hasn’t there been a strike over it before?
Much as water shortage makes life difficult for students, if this leads to destruction of property, then it is unacceptable by modern standards.
To me, there is no difference between the burning of Nabumali school buildings and the destruction of the US Twin tower buildings by Al Queda bandits. Both are cases of pure terrorism.
The future of those who went through Nabumali since 1933 is now in the ashes as they no longer have records to refer to. I admire the way the students of Masaba Secondary School, Sironko district, conducted themselves two months ago when they had grievances. They simply petitioned the RDC and within a week, the issues were solved.
I suggest parliament enacts a law against violent strikes. Ringleaders proved guilty of burning down buildings should be treated as terrorists.
Nabumali water shortage not new
By Fred Nangoli
It has been one of the giant schools in the east, but on Monday night, Nabumali High School was reduced to ashes by a group of striking students.
Nabumali’s most spacious buildings-the administration block and the architectural dining hall are all no more.
Student leaders cite the shortage of piped water as one of the main cause of the strike.
However, James Masaba an old boy and Alfred Musamali, a former teacher say water shortage in the school did not necessitate a strike.
“Many of us have gone through Nabumali and we went through the same problem. It is saddening to learn that it has eventually led to the destruction of the school,†says Masaba.
Wanda Masifa, a teacher in the school says the reasons given by the students following the strike were baseless.
“We have got tap water in the school and in case of shortage, we use trucks to deliver water.
Even on the eve of the strike water was flowing in many places including the dinning hall,†he says.
Maryland Wafula another old boy, says the students who burnt down the school were just a malicious lot.
“They are learning in one of Nabumali’s best eras because some of us never had the kind of facilities they have today,†he says.
Some old students of Nabumali say the water problem dates back to 1981 when the school’s water plant at Mulati on the shores of River Manafwa broke down. The plant installed in 1964 by the Government has never received any substantial rehabilitation.
Autocracy to blame
By Hilary Bainemigisha
Nobody and no reasons can ever justify a student strike where the destruction is as extensive as that at Nabumali High School in Mbale.
Usually, time is lost, students are expelled, some arrested and everybody; parents, school administration and the general public blame the students who eventually lose out on all fronts. But what is more vexing is the fact that there is no school strike that would not have been avoided by a little intervention and administration is to blame.
Many schools are living the traditional times of boss-knows-it-all. The administration behaves like the Commanders-in-Chief of the school, whose success must be measured by how intimidated the students are when the headmasters are passing by.
And no attempt is made at letting the students open up and get involved in the school affairs. The administration rules from top to bottom, decides what is good or bad for the students and crank them into compliance without caring to get their input.
What autocratic leaders don’t realise is that they cannot kill the spirit and emotions. They are merely forcing students to bottle up their gas till it bursts forth into exaggerated spectacular displays.
And because of such factors as the generation gap, students’ priorities and preferences cannot be similar to teachers. Like in Gombe SS, teachers decreed that students have their school dance in school uniforms. To the administration, this is discipline. But students don’t think so. They see it as manipulation, bad will and arrogance. They comply because they have no guns to shoot the teacher.
The headteacher must allow the students let off their steam without any threat or victimisation. The schools should open channels of feedback and get students involved in the school problem solving processes.
By John Eremu
NABUMALI High is the latest in the growing list of schools burnt down by students. Whatever the cause, destruction of property is the worst form of expressing grievances and only mad people may support this.
As a drastic measure, the ministry of education and sports has withdrawn the protection of candidates implicated in strikes.
“If you burn down a building, you cease to be an ordinary student but a criminal,†Nsubuga said.
“In the past we have always protected the candidates, allowing them to come back and sit the final examinations. But if the candidates themselves participated (as is believed in the Nabumali case), why should they be protected,†he warned.
Nsubuga said a team from the Education Standards Agency was at the weekend due to visit Nabumali to assess the extent of the damage.
Nsubuga condemned the strike saying the ministry last year spent over sh150m sensitising students on the dangers of strikes and implored them to use other methods like writing anonymous letters to air grievances.
Strike leaders are terrorists
By Eriya Murana
The burning of Nabumali High School October 11 by some reckless students has left a number of us grieving.
It may take a long time before the actual cause of the strike is known. But the complaint by the lead girls that one borehole was inadequate for the whole school is not convincing. The water problem has been on for long and why hasn’t there been a strike over it before?
Much as water shortage makes life difficult for students, if this leads to destruction of property, then it is unacceptable by modern standards.
To me, there is no difference between the burning of Nabumali school buildings and the destruction of the US Twin tower buildings by Al Queda bandits. Both are cases of pure terrorism.
The future of those who went through Nabumali since 1933 is now in the ashes as they no longer have records to refer to. I admire the way the students of Masaba Secondary School, Sironko district, conducted themselves two months ago when they had grievances. They simply petitioned the RDC and within a week, the issues were solved.
I suggest parliament enacts a law against violent strikes. Ringleaders proved guilty of burning down buildings should be treated as terrorists.
Nabumali water shortage not new
By Fred Nangoli
It has been one of the giant schools in the east, but on Monday night, Nabumali High School was reduced to ashes by a group of striking students.
Nabumali’s most spacious buildings-the administration block and the architectural dining hall are all no more.
Student leaders cite the shortage of piped water as one of the main cause of the strike.
However, James Masaba an old boy and Alfred Musamali, a former teacher say water shortage in the school did not necessitate a strike.
“Many of us have gone through Nabumali and we went through the same problem. It is saddening to learn that it has eventually led to the destruction of the school,†says Masaba.
Wanda Masifa, a teacher in the school says the reasons given by the students following the strike were baseless.
“We have got tap water in the school and in case of shortage, we use trucks to deliver water.
Even on the eve of the strike water was flowing in many places including the dinning hall,†he says.
Maryland Wafula another old boy, says the students who burnt down the school were just a malicious lot.
“They are learning in one of Nabumali’s best eras because some of us never had the kind of facilities they have today,†he says.
Some old students of Nabumali say the water problem dates back to 1981 when the school’s water plant at Mulati on the shores of River Manafwa broke down. The plant installed in 1964 by the Government has never received any substantial rehabilitation.
Autocracy to blame
By Hilary Bainemigisha
Nobody and no reasons can ever justify a student strike where the destruction is as extensive as that at Nabumali High School in Mbale.
Usually, time is lost, students are expelled, some arrested and everybody; parents, school administration and the general public blame the students who eventually lose out on all fronts. But what is more vexing is the fact that there is no school strike that would not have been avoided by a little intervention and administration is to blame.
Many schools are living the traditional times of boss-knows-it-all. The administration behaves like the Commanders-in-Chief of the school, whose success must be measured by how intimidated the students are when the headmasters are passing by.
And no attempt is made at letting the students open up and get involved in the school affairs. The administration rules from top to bottom, decides what is good or bad for the students and crank them into compliance without caring to get their input.
What autocratic leaders don’t realise is that they cannot kill the spirit and emotions. They are merely forcing students to bottle up their gas till it bursts forth into exaggerated spectacular displays.
And because of such factors as the generation gap, students’ priorities and preferences cannot be similar to teachers. Like in Gombe SS, teachers decreed that students have their school dance in school uniforms. To the administration, this is discipline. But students don’t think so. They see it as manipulation, bad will and arrogance. They comply because they have no guns to shoot the teacher.
The headteacher must allow the students let off their steam without any threat or victimisation. The schools should open channels of feedback and get students involved in the school problem solving processes.