MBARARA .
The administration of Ntare School has suspended a total of 540 students for staging a hunger strike.
The affected students are all in Senior Three . The disgruntled learners were reportedly protesting the expulsion of their colleague for alleged examination malpractice.
According to Mr Saul Rwampororo , the school head teacher the suspended students have been engaged in endless fights with the Senior Four candidates at school which could not be tolerated.
“We suspended the boy on Tuesday who was cheating exams and now they (Senior Three) are saying they want justice for their fellow. I called the assembly and told them why the boy was suspended ,but they hesitated. They kept on fighting with Senior Four students who are doing the Mock examination and we said we cannot contain that,” he said.
Mr Sam Asiimwe ,one of the parents wondered why the school suspended such a huge number of students at once yet they were writing their end of term exams .
“We send our children to school to learn and get discipline ,if the latter is failing ,it is an indictment on the head teacher and his entire management ,” he said
Mr Rwampororo said the suspended students will be screened before they are allowed back in school.
“We suspended them and we shall meet and first know who was doing what, know exactly the ring leaders in this before they can come back to school,” he said.
The students refuted their head teacher’s claim of expelling their colleague for examination malpractice and believe that it could have been because of his interest in investigating the homosexuality practices in the school.
“Our colleague made investigations on Sunday evening, after four of the students escaped death narrowly over their involvement in homosexuality practices,” one of the students who preferred anonymity said.
Following the investigations, one Kaburura was expelled from school after the suspected homosexual students reported him to the school administration.
The action by the school administration annoyed Senior Three students who responded with refusal to eat food prepared as supper for them.
Sensing danger, Mr Rwamporo called them to the main hall for dialogue ,but students demanded an explanation regarding the expulsion of their colleague.
“In his response, the head teacher told us that Kaburura was expelled due to examination malpractice which we didn’t believe because no one was picked from the examination room as a result of cheating,” one of S.3 students who requested not to be named, said.
The students after their interaction with the head teacher, turned rowdy and started pelting stones on glasses.
The situation scared teachers who called in Senior Four and Senior Six students to calm their fellows which only culminated into another fight.
“After the situation had somehow calmed down, the school entertainment department switched on the Television set and displayed the Super Cup final match between Tottenham and Paris Saint Germain (PSG) but the Senior Four students armed with sticks blocked Senior Three students from accessing the entertainment hall,” another student said