Government and education activists have faulted disgruntled student teachers who caused havoc at Nalikule College of Education on Saturday last week.
Education activist, Symon Mattaka has said that students at Nalikule College of Education displayed a strange behaviour not expected from prospective teachers. Mattaka who leads ‘Education for All’ campaign, says he expects student teachers to be exemplary by solving challenges through dialogue.
Public Relations Officer in the Ministry of Education, Mphatso Nkuonera said there were some students who came for the supplementary examinations at the college which ran from 11th to 15th September. He said however, some students who were not sitting for these examinations also reported claiming their leaders had encouraged them to do so despite the college’s communication that the college was scheduled to open on 2nd October and not the earlier communicated date of 18 September.
Nkuonera said procedurally supplementary examinations are not taken while the learning process is in progress to avoid creating unconducive environment for the candidates.
He said, “It was students who were sitting for supplementary examinations who informed management of evil plans being hatched by some irate students who had agreed to report on Sunday just to demonstrate and vandalise property in disagreement with management’s decision. Management immediately invited police and it was at this juncture that the disgruntled students came out of the campus and started pelting stones at the police to which the men in uniform reacted by firing teargas canisters to disperse them.”
The principal for the college, Dennis Khasu said management had initially tried to engage the students but the call was snubbed hence the students could not be allowed to get on campus.
“The initial date communicated for opening was 18 September but we communicated to the student leadership body reasons behind the change, a development which a good proportion accepted and the same was communicated to all students. It is those that did not welcome the change who planned to vandalise school property,” explained Khasu.
The principal also dismissed rumours that there has been a continued change of opening dates.
On Saturday, police arrested two student teachers following the fracas
