By Monica Nashon
The planned handover to a new principal at Nyabisase Mixed Secondary School has been suspended after students staged protests that turned violent, culminating in the torching of a girls’ dormitory on Monday.
Board of Management (BOM) Chairperson Elijah Ombwori said the meeting had been convened to officially hand over the school to a new principal following the retirement of the former principal at the end of last month.
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Ombwori said the incoming principal arrived at the school at about 8:45 a.m. carrying a posting letter from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
Members of the Board had already assembled and were awaiting officials from the TSC and the Ministry of Education to oversee the handover.
According to Ombwori, the unrest began in the morning when boys in the lower section of the mixed school refused to attend the routine morning parade.
Teachers instructed them to return to their classrooms, but they declined.
“The boys refused to attend parade and later refused to go back to their classrooms. They did not want the incoming principal to take over because he was not the one the board and the sponsor had identified,” Ombwori said.
As the situation escalated, teachers sought assistance from police officers.
However, the students forced open the school’s main gate and became violent.
Ombwori said local residents were called in to help prevent the boys from accessing the girls’ section.
Despite the efforts, some students broke into one of the girls’ dormitories and set it ablaze at about 11:30 a.m.
No injuries were reported as the fire occurred during the day when the dormitory was unoccupied.
The Board said the handover process has been postponed pending further communication from the Ministry of Education.
Ombwori said CCTV cameras covering the boys’ section were vandalised during the unrest, complicating efforts to identify those responsible.
He, however, said investigators had already arrived at the school and expressed confidence that those involved would be identified.
The destroyed dormitory accommodates about 200 students.
Public works officers are expected to assess the extent of the damage before the cost of the destruction is established.
The school, which has a population of more than 3,500 learners, will remain closed until the Board of Management reviews the incident and determines when students can safely return.
