Seventh-day Adventist-run Katikamu Secondary School in Uganda has expelled 37 students and closed late last month after students rioted, destroying property, looting the cafeteria and pelting Police officers.

The rioting, which began March 22 and lasted for two days, came after rumors spread that the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) had shut down the school's examinations board when administrators failed to comply with the national standards.

At least 17 students sought medical attention after school officials called the local police to respond to the rioting, said Samuel Mwebaza, communication director for the church in Uganda. According to school reports, a few students fainted after the police shot into the air and officers beat several others.

Students were also angered by the failure of the school's administration to communicate with them, Mwebaza said. School administrators said they neglected to initially tell students about the termination of former school headmaster Samuel Kyewalyanga, who had resigned upon request earlier in March.

The UNEB had asked Katikamu administrators to remove Kyewalyanga in the middle of March, after the school failed to comply with national education standards, officials said.

The school reopened March 29, after the national examinations board cleared the school and a new head teacher was appointed.

Mwebaza also said this is the second time the school's examination board has been shut down. In 2007, UNEB withheld test results for more than 100 Katikamu senior-level examinations after the board accused the school of testing malpractice, the Uganda Daily Monitor reported. Affected students had to repeat a full year of education, church officials said.
[With news material of ANN/The New Vision and Daily Monitor]