Police are hunting for a secondary school teacher accused of fatally assaulting a 16-year-old student at a private school in Luweero District, in a case that has reignited concerns over the continued use of corporal punishment in schools.
The deceased, identified as Nicholas Nakibinge, a Senior Four student at New Life Secondary School, allegedly died after being beaten by a teacher, Mr Abraham Mukalazi, who remains at large.
According to the boy’s father, Mr Joseph Serubogo, his son was allegedly assaulted on both June 15 and June 16 before collapsing.
“As parents, the school has never informed us of any case of indiscipline involving our child. Our son was beaten by the same teacher on Monday and Tuesday according to the deceased’s classmates,” Mr Serubogo said.
He accused the school of failing to notify the family about the alleged punishment and instead informing them that the student had fainted in class.
“We did not get any information until the school bursar made a call informing us that our son had fainted in class. This was wrong information relayed to us by a school administrator,” he added.
The incident has sparked outrage among parents and residents, some of whom claim corporal punishment remains common at the school despite government directives banning the practice.
Ms Deborah Nakato Nanjego, a resident of Luweero Town Council, said some teachers were known for excessive punishment.
“Some of the teachers are very reckless and obsessed with caning as a way of punishment. Government should make it clear to schools that corporal punishment is not the best way of disciplining children,” she said.
Monitor could not independently verify the allegations regarding the school’s disciplinary practices.
Mr Paul Mukungu, the Luweero Town Council LCIII chairperson, described the incident as tragic and called for accountability.
“It is sad that we have lost a student in one of our schools due to the reckless behaviour of a teacher. Corporal punishment was outlawed. We are waiting for a postmortem report,” he said.
The body was transferred to Kampala City Mortuary for a postmortem examination.
Savannah Regional Police spokesperson Mr Sam Twineamazima confirmed the incident, saying preliminary investigations indicate that the student was allegedly assaulted by a teacher who is now on the run.
“The suspect reportedly assaulted the student leading to his death. The victim collapsed and was pronounced dead shortly after being evacuated to hospital. We have arrested two other suspects to help with the investigation process,” Mr Twineamazima said.
Despite the tragedy, some classes reportedly continued at the school on Wednesday, while several students stayed away and others joined the bereaved family in mourning.
Mr Edward Kabanda, a retired teacher and resident of Luweero Town Council, said schools should involve parents in disciplinary matters rather than resorting to corporal punishment.
“The conditions under which many of our children live are very different. School administrators should learn to always contact the parents in cases of any disciplinary process in the same way they contact parents for school fees,” he said.
Police said investigations are ongoing as authorities await the postmortem report to establish the exact cause of death.
Corporal punishments were outlawed by the Supreme Court in 1999 and are prohibited in article 94 of the Children Act.