By Eumu Emmanuel
Angry parents at Omac Primary School in Ngai Sub County, Oyam District, locked up the office of the headteacher, Tom Richard Odongo, They accused him of being corrupt and misusing his authority.
The parents, mostly of primary five pupils, went to the school and locked the headteacher’s office. They said the school made them pay exam fees, but their children never got to take the exams.
Even after Odongo explained why the children didn’t get to take the exams, the parents still locked him in his office. Toby Esther Ebon, the catechist of Omac Catholic Church, rushed to the school and begged the parents to find a peaceful way to solve the problem.
Julius Peter Ocen, the deputy headteacher, said Odongo has been having problems with the teachers, which is affecting how well the students are doing in school. Mercy Akite, a senior woman teacher, is worried that if they don’t fix this quickly, it will huant how well the students do in school.
Some of the students from primary five, six, and seven said they didn’t get to take the exams. Opok Augustine, the chairperson of the school management committee, asked the leaders of Ngai Sub County to help them solve these problems.
Father Joseph Odongo, the parish priest, who is part of the group that founded Omac Primary School, said there’s a bad relationship between the headteacher, his deputy, and some teachers. He thinks the district education department needs to help.
Tom Richard Odongo, the headteacher, said he was still in a meeting with members of the Oyam District Education Department at the district headquarters. Francis Oleke Ochero, the district education officer, said they know about the problem and sent a school inspector to get a report. They’re planning a meeting today to fix the problem.