School Violence

On the ride to Gulu, a story was relayed to me about a riot at one of the schools. I must preface it by giving you an understanding of the economics of the schools here. The students take their meals at school. Those past a certain age pay. Payment is made in a lump sum at the beginning of the tri-mester terms: Don’t pay, you do not attend. This creates a certain level of expectation as to what will be offered. Meals usually are a combination of posho--a sticky, dry, white corn and water paste--and beans. Infrequently offered--so quite a treat--is meat, usually goat of cicken. On bad days the food consists of a porridge that offers no protein and less flavor.

It is not infrequent that schools will have rewards for teams or classes at the end of term for achieiving a significant goal. At one school, the custom was, if they won the end of term athletics, they would receive a goat. Last year, the students won but the budget was depleted, and the principal/headmaster had to announce that there would be no goat forthcoming this year. The students were angry, they refused to go to class. The headmaster came out and threatened them; they still refused. He came out again and told them to go to class and they responded by going to a nearby thicket and tearing it down. They took the long, thin sticks that was once the thicket, and proceded to cane the headmaster.

This story is not presented as fact. I pass it along to provide a base line because subsequent events have lent it creedence. You see, our group of teachers is to be divided, some sent out to camps and some to remain in city. Two days ago, we learned that one of the camps is no longer an option. Four teachers slated to go there will be forced to alter their plans. At that camp, the team lost their athletic finals--an event they were expected to win. The students, looking to place blame for their defeat, pointed to the fact that for the last week they had only received porridge. They considered this the equivalent of a contractual violation. In their minds they lost beacuse they did not receive the foodstuffs that would keep them strong. Althought corruption exists here like everywhere, they had no proof that the funds for food had been stolen, nevertheless, they needed to blame someone. The headmaster provided a good target. They stoned him. The school is now closed, As of this typing, I don't know if he survived.

This news has caused me to look in the Ugandan papers to see if what I am hearing is real. In Friday's Ugandan Daily Monitor, there is an article about a school of 762 in Isingiro being closed after jerrycans of gasoline were found in dormitories, part of a plot to burn the school down. Another school of 1300 in Ngawna is now closed after the students burned the administration building to the ground. But, the one I found most troubling was the news that 180 students were suspended in Mbarra after they attempting to lynch their headmaster....Suspended? Lynched? I wonder, just what does it take to get expelled?

I remind myself not to judge, but the fact that my father was a principal makes it hard.