The Ministry of Education in Torit State has closed a secondary school for alleged failure to meet required standards.
Torit Progressive, a privately-owned secondary school, was closed indefinitely on Monday.
Vitale Ongejuk, the acting education minister in Torit state, told Radio Tamazuj that the secondary school has been closed over lack of water point and assembly ground.
“We decided to form a committee to go and visit the school on May 21, 2019. When the committee, including myself went to the school, it was observed that there were four classrooms in the school which were built on a family plot and it is not supposed to be a school,” said Ongejuk.
He added, “The school does not also qualify to be a healthy learning environment. It did not meet minimum standards of education. There is no water point, playground, space for assembly. You cannot have a school without assembly ground. These are things we discovered”.
The decision to close the school came after lengthy discussions by the state council of ministers, according to Ongejuk.
He said the school would be reopened if it meets required standards.
Student protests
Students of the Torit Progressive School on Monday protested the closure of their school by education officials.
Atanga David Ogeno, a crime police officer at Torit municipal central station, said protests saw three students arrested. The police officer explained that the three students were arrested for allegedly running after the acting education minister’s car.
He pointed out that Minister Vitale Ongejuk and some security officers had visited the school to confirm its closure.
The police officer said investigations into the matter were ongoing.
“They [students] are three in number and they are still there, but investigations are underway. They said three students were arrested because they ran after the minister’s car. That is the main reason for their arrests, but I don’t know what exactly happened,” said Ongeno.
Started in 2017, the secondary school has more than 200 registered students.