St.Christine Primary school in Kakumiro.The school has closed over accumulated bank loan interests.
More than 300 learners are stranded after St. Christine Nursery and Primary school in Mwintanzige sub-county, Kakumiro district failed to open for the first term of the academic year.
Our reporter has learnt that the school is struggling with bank loans that were acquired by its Director Pascal Asiimwe in 2020 and 2021. He has since failed to service the loans and is currently on the run.
Brotherson Aseera, the acting headteacher of the school told our reporter in an interview on Tuesday that some banks and other money-lending institutions raided the school on Monday and attached several of its properties including the buildings. He adds that parents have now been advised to consider taking their children to other schools.
Kakumiro District Inspector of Schools, Mary Kyofuna says that they have advised parents to take their children to neighbouring schools so that their education cycle is not interrupted. Kyofuna says a team of education officials will soon visit the school to ascertain what exactly caused its closure.
Stellazia Namirembe, a parent at the school says she was shocked when she took her children to the school on Monday and found the gate under lock and key. However, Emmanuel Mpirirwe, the school PTA Chairperson says the issues surrounding the school are beyond control.
The school management came under fire in November 2022 when 23 candidates missed writing the mathematics paper on November 8, 2022, after they arrived late.
The affected candidates had registered at Mpasana primary school UNEB centre in Mpasana town council. They, however, arrived one hour and fifteen minutes late contrary to the UNEB rules and regulations. It later emerged that the school authorities failed to transport the candidates to the UNEB centre in time.
The candidates walked for 15 kilometres to the UNEB centre to write their exams but couldn’t make it on time. They were, however, allowed to write the remaining papers. However, UNEB instituted a team to investigate the circumstances under which the candidates missed the mathematics paper and found that it wasn’t the fault of the pupils but a mistake by the school administration.
As a result, UNEB and the Ministry of Education and Sports unanimously resolved to administer a special mathematics paper for the candidates not to affect their education cycle. They were, however, allowed to write a special mathematics paper on November 30.
-URN
