RX Radio presenter James Onen, aka Fatboy, reasoned that the school administration of St. Mary’s Rushoroza might have failed to promote harmony among its students leading to the long-standing feud between candidates and the rest of the students.
He made the assertions following the suspension of 825 students at St. Mary’s Rushoroza in Kabale district after students of seniors four, five, and six were involved in a violent fight among themselves.
The altercation began on Friday night at around 11 pm when senior five students were blocked from watching television by their counterparts in the senior six tv room after the television for senior fives got a mechanical glitch.
The senior fives later mobilized other students who collectively returned and stormed the room and a brawl broke out leading to the deployment of the anti-riot police after the administration tried to calm the situation in vain.
Fatboy commented, “maybe the problem lies in the fact that the school administration has been allowing this problem to fester for so long because the administration would be expected to build trust and have activities that promote good relations that allow students to bond,” he surmised.
He added that the teachers need to pay attention to the nature of punishments given to students that may cause bitterness that they may want to transfer to others.
According to Investigations by the Police Community Liaisons in charge of the Kigezi account, ASP Enock Hatangimana, there was a long-standing dispute between candidates and non-candidates. The latter accused the former of extortion, teasing, and bullying.
The Police also discovered that outgoing prefects charged incoming prefects a fee of 60,000 each before they could handle down their tools of power such as neckties. Senior fives were also angry that they had been charged 20,000 by fellow candidates for beds in dormitories.
Olive, the other presenter, reasoned that there was a likely preferential treatment of candidates in the school, a common occurrence in Ugandan schools where prefects and candidates are treated differently from the rest of the learners in school.
“In most schools, prefects are usually given so much power. I remember in my senior one, I joined an army school, and the students were like soldiers. The prefects ill-treated students. And you might find that in this school, the prefects and candidates might have been treated like they are better than the rest of the learners,” she said.
The Fatboy show is hosted by James Onen aka Fatboy, Olive, and Sarah every weekday from 6 am to 10 am on RX Radio.