Africa-Press – Uganda. Parents at Mubende Public Model Primary School have asked the state minister for Primary Education, Dr Joyce Moriku Kaducu, to reverse her decision and reopen its boarding section she earlier suspended.
On March 24, Dr Kaducu closed the boarding section after seven pupils were reportedly sodomised by Brian Kimuli, a male warden. Mr Kimuli has since been arrested, charged in court and remanded to Kaweri Prison.
The dormitories were reportedly congested, with two pupils sharing one bed. The minister said this was irregular.
However, parents claim that they had already paid school fees for Term One and have nowhere to take their children who were in the boarding section.
Ms Josephine Nabageya, a parent, said closing the boarding section is not the solution to the problem at hand.
“The school head teacher, Mr James Bangirana, took the responsibility of arresting the culprit immediately. There are school administrators who keep silent during such situations. So, the minister could have given the school management a chance to reorganize the dormitories rather than closing them,” she said.
She said cannot afford a daily fare of Shs20,000 to transport her child to and from school.
As a result, she says her son, who is in Primary seven, has been affected.
“My house is located about 25 kilometres from the school.Ever since the boarding section was closed, my son has missed lessons several times because I cannot afford Shs20,000 daily to pay the boda boda rider ,” she said.
Ms Nabageya explained that she could have enrolled her son in a nearby day school, but this will attract extra expenses like buying new uniforms, paying admission and school fees.
Another parent, Mr Francis Sakwa, said he was not only saddened by reports of sodomy acts at the school, but also about the closure of the boarding section.
“We don’t condone sodomy acts because it is our children who are affected, but this couldn’t have led to the sudden closure of the dormitories, we think the minister overacted without thinking about parents who had already paid money for the boarding section,” he told Daily Monitor yesterday.
Mr Sakwa said some parents are from other districts namely Kakumiro, Mityana and Wakiso and it is difficult for them to bring their children to attend lessons at the school daily.
“For me, I am lucky I don’t stay too far from the school. I can take my child to school every morning, but what happens to other parents from other districts who have children in the dormitories?” he wondered.
He said pupils at the school are currently being stigmatised by a section of residents in Mubende Town who accuse them of engaging in homosexuality, which is not true.
He said: “Every pupil at Mubende Public Model School is currently labeled a homosexual, which is bad. Some have been denied admission in other schools with administrators claiming that the pupils will introduce the evil acts to their schools.”
In response, the state minister, Dr Kaducu, said her decision was appropriate.
“I told the school management to talk to the parents to see how they can properly evacuate their children. If you are a parent can you allow children to sleep two or three on one bed in a school dormitory? Those parents should be thanking me for saving their children not bashing me,” she said.
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