Old Boys reject new head teacher who is not an alumnus

Jinja, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Kiira College Butiki Old Boys Association-KICOBA has rejected the newly posted head teacher, Paul Mwogeza, on the grounds that he is not an old boy of the school and therefore lacks the passion to run it. Mwogeza tookover the school on March 1, 2023, following the retirement of Michael Kisaame.

In a statement issued on Monday, Kiira College Butiki Old Boys Association says that Mwogeza lacks knowledge about the history and culture of the school, which is key in safeguarding its legacy.

Led by their chairperson, Aggrey Batesaaki, the association members told journalists in Jinja city that they have petitioned both the Ministry of Education and Sports and the founding body, Busoga kingdom to reverse the decision in vain.

Batesaaki notes that they submitted four names of suitable nominees to the Education Ministry and Busoga kingdom for consideration but their list was trashed, which he says undermines the role of the old student body to ensure the smooth operations of the school.

He argues that their former school has been experiencing a drastic decline in sports and academic performances for the past 10 years since those posted to the school are never former students there, which has prompted them to push for one of their own to take over the school.

Batesaaki argues that the school has in the past registered moral decadence with increasing cases of drug abuse resulting from the reluctance of outsourced school heads who lack the passion to preserve the posterity of the school.

He further claims that Mwogeza lacks the experience of managing a traditional school at the magnitude of Butiki and assigning him this uphill task will affect their past gains.

Both the Education Ministry and Busoga kingdom are yet to react to the demands of the old students. Mwogeza told journalists that those opposed to his posting are driven by selfish reasons, which he is yet to establish.

He accuses some members of the old boy’s association of infiltrating continuing students’ leadership bodies and inciting them to organize peaceful demonstrations against him, but he is closely monitoring the situation to avoid chaos.

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