Zombo parents storm school demanding immediate transfer of head teacher

Zombo: Hundreds of parents of Arikpa Primary School in Athuma Sub-county, Zombo District, stormed the school on Wednesday, 8 July, demanding the immediate transfer of the school’s head teacher, Ms. Palma Orochi.

The incident, which occurred at around 10:00 a.m., found the head teacher absent from the school.

Zombo Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Festus Ayikobua confirmed the incident, saying the parents accused the head teacher of poor accountability and administration.

Ayikobua commended the community for remaining calm while presenting their grievances and assured them that the matter would be thoroughly investigated as normal lessons continue at the school.

“Indeed the parents marched peacefully and demanded that the head teacher be replaced immediately. They claim that she was not clear on accountability, that she had poor administration and was not living in good terms with the community,” Ayikobua said in an interview.

He added , “I appreciate the parents for being peaceful and demanding for accountability. We shall investigate the matter thoroughly and come out with a clear resolution.”

Apparently to calm the situation, the District Security Committee, chaired by the RDC, asked the head teacher to step aside as investigations continue.

The deputy head teacher has been appointed to serve in an acting capacity.

Lessons are continuing normally following the incident at the rural government-aided school.

Meanwhile, the school’s head teacher, Palma Orochi, attributed the incident to disciplinary action taken by her administration against an indisciplined learner, which she said prompted the child’s parent to mobilize the community against her.

“Due to his indiscipline, teachers were saying it is better we chase the boy away. Indeed I took that initiative. I said, now you the mother, this boy is notorious, please try him elsewhere. The issue made the father of the boy go and mobilize the community to come and throw me out of the office,” Orochi stated.

She also blamed one member of staff for allegedly inciting the community against her, saying she thanked God she was away from the school during the incident because the parents could have done something worse to her.

She further said some community members accused her of acquiring too much land in the neighbourhood through her husband.

“The community were also putting blame on me for the land that my husband has bought, they said I’m finishing the land there. Actually what I have seen, these people have taken the law into their own hands,” she said.

“If I have done something wrong concerning the education, first the leaders would have come to the school to monitor and find out the truth and we sit together as a team rather than going to mobilize the mob to go and destroy me or beat me in the office, and thank God I was not there in the office.” She added.

Francis Bolingo, the district councillor for Athuma Sub-county, lauded the timely response of the security team and strongly condemned the parents’ actions.

Relatedly, Julian Katende, the District Female Workers’ Representative, condemned the incident, warning that, “such action against our staff shall not be tolerated in future.”

The District Security Committee, headed by the RDC, has tentatively appointed the deputy head teacher to act as head teacher as the substantive head teacher steps aside pending the committee’s final report on the incident.

This incident mirrors the events at Padea Primary School on September 18, 2023, when parents stormed the school carrying placards with strong protest messages expressing dissatisfaction with the school head teacher before later locking his  office  up with three brown padlocks.

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