Oyam School Officials Arrested Over Alleged Holiday Teaching

School officials and teachers from two schools in Oyam District have been arrested over allegations of conducting teaching activities during the school holiday despite a directive from the Ministry of Education and Sports prohibiting unauthorised holiday classes.

Among those arrested is Gilbert Olwa, the head teacher of Aramita Primary School in Ngai Sub-county, together with the school's cook, Bonny Olwa.

Officials and teachers from Bethel Nursery and Primary School, a privately owned school in the district, were also arrested in connection with the alleged holiday teaching.

The suspects were taken into custody to assist police with investigations into the circumstances surrounding the teaching activities.

Parent reportedly assaulted

The arrests followed concerns over holiday teaching activities at some schools in the district.

In a related incident, a school director in Kwania District was also arrested after allegedly assaulting a parent who had gone to the school to collect his children after they were reportedly being kept at the school for holiday teaching.

The incidents have renewed attention on the enforcement of the Ministry of Education's directive against unauthorised teaching during school holidays.

Ministry warns schools

The Ministry of Education and Sports has maintained that school holidays are intended to give learners time to rest, spend time with their families and participate in other activities outside the classroom.

Schools and education managers have therefore been urged to follow the official school calendar and avoid turning holidays into unofficial extensions of the academic term.

Education officials in Lango have also continued to caution school administrators against conducting activities that violate government regulations.

Police investigations continue

The Oyam suspects were detained at Oyam Central Police Station as investigations continued.

Police are expected to establish whether the schools were conducting organised holiday lessons, who authorised the activities and whether learners were being compelled to remain at school during the holiday.

The arrests have also raised questions about the pressure placed on learners and parents when schools organise unauthorised holiday programmes.

Education authorities have urged parents and members of the public to report schools that violate the official school calendar to the relevant authorities.

The arrested individuals remain suspects and are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.