JINJA: Headteacher survives lynching over poor PLE performance

Jinja, (UG):– The Territorial Police in eastern Uganda’s Jinja District was Monday forced to fire bullets in the air to save Mr Godfrey Namuyoga, 46, the headteacher of Kamiigo Primary School from being lynched by angry parents and community members accusing him of poor administration which resulted into poor performance in the national exams. 

The 2023 results of Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) of Kamiigo Primary School saw no pupil in first grade with only 8 in second grade. The school registered 30 in third grade, 12 in fourth grade and 14 in division U, and this is one of the reasons for furiousness by the parents.

This angered the parents who accuse the headteacher of taking school pupils to dig and do other gardening work for him at the school and personal gardens at the expense of attending sessions.

“…during and after the harvesting period, he takes all the proceeds making the school management benefit little or nothing from the efforts of their children,” one of the parents lamented, before adding that, their children perform poorly at PLE because he is ever engaging them in gardening works giving little or no attention to learning.

Kiira Regional Police Spokesperson, SP James Mubi confirmed the incident in a police statement saying the parents also accused the embattled headteacher of disrespecting his teachers and elders in the community yet the results in PLE do not yield any fruits.

“He is being accused of incompetence in handling teachers’ concerns, disrespecting teachers and elders in the community, destroying crops belonging to teachers without prior notice and not giving a satisfactory explanation for his actions and taking all proceeds from the school garden projects. Parents also accuse of poor performance in PLE,” SP Mubi said in a Monday statement.

DailyExpress exclusively learnt from reliable sources that Mr Namuyoga brought a tractor and ploughed all the gardens belonging to his teachers without prior warning and that he has been running the school with only 18 teachers for the last five years something which doesn’t match with the over 1600 pupils enrolled at the school. 

As police intervened to calm the situation, the headteacher was ferried to Kakira CPS for safe custody pending harmonious resolution of the matters while the school was by press time on Monday currently under security surveillance and manning to ensure proper learning business at the school, without any damage to the school properties.

“…And to ensure there’s no loss or damage to school properties. The Headteacher is at CPS Kakira for safe custody until the dust settles down and pending issues are harmoniously resolved by all concerned parties,” Mubi told DailyExpress on Monday afternoon.

However, a teacher who survived after locking himself inside his office before police intervention alleges that there should be a teacher behind the drama. However, the community resorted to break the office before a swift response by police. 

The chairperson of PTA, Mr Charles Kasayi and LC 1 Chairperson Sam Buyinza set Tuesday, February 27, 2024, as the date for holding PTA’s meeting to discuss and find a way forward for all the issues being raised by parents and community members but the intended meeting has been overtaken up by events.