School officials and teachers from two schools in Oyam District have been arrested for allegedly violating a Ministry of Education and Sports directive banning teaching during school holidays. The suspects include Gilbert Olwa, the head teacher of Aramita Primary School in Ngai Sub-county; his school cook, Bonny Olwa; and officials and teachers of Bethel Nursery and Primary School, a privately owned institution in the district.
They are being detained at Oyam Central Police Station to aid investigations. Olwa, the Aramita Primary School head teacher, was arrested while teaching a Primary Seven class, while the school’s cook, Bonny Olwa, was picked up as he prepared lunch for the learners.
At Bethel Nursery and Primary School, the school’s director, Martin Olema, and his wife, Stella Akullu, were arrested alongside teachers Ivan Ojok, Emmanuel Okwanga, Jasper Elem, and Sam Ogwang. The arrests followed an operation led by Francis Behangana, the Deputy Resident District Commissioner of Oyam, after his office received reports that schools were conducting holiday teaching in breach of government guidelines.
The Ministry of Education and Sports has banned teaching during holidays in both public and private primary and secondary schools, saying the break is intended to allow learners to rest, bond with their families and avoid mental and physical burnout. Authorities have directed Chief Administrative Officers, Resident District Commissioners and police commanders to enforce the directive across the country.
Behangana said the operation was prompted by reports of schools continuing to teach learners despite the ban. At Aramita Primary School, Behangana found 26 learners being taught and also accused the school of illegally operating a boarding section.
Behangana said the suspects had been handed over to police for further investigations and would be taken to court if found to have violated the guidelines. “So we have just handed them over to police for further investigations, and when the investigations are done they are going to be paraded in court for failure to follow the guidelines,” he said.
One of the Primary Seven learners who recorded a statement at Ngai Police Station said the school had asked each learner to pay 2,000 shillings for the two-week holiday teaching programme. The learner said the money was intended to facilitate the school cook who was preparing meals for them.
Meanwhile, there was drama at Bethel Nursery and Primary School when the Deputy RDC arrived and found teachers conducting lessons for about 15 learners. According to officials, two teachers allegedly attempted to evade detection by pushing learners out of the classroom through a window.
The school director, Martin Olema, and his wife, Stella Akullu, who were reportedly collecting holiday coaching fees, were subsequently arrested together with the teachers. The arrests come as authorities intensify enforcement of the Ministry of Education’s directive against holiday teaching, with school administrators warned against exposing learners to academic activities during the designated holiday period-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
