Dear, Sr. Margaret Tusiime, the Headteacher Bishop ASILI Memorial Nursery and Primary School, Kabale. I hope this finds you well. And I take this opportunity to congratulate you upon passing Primary Leaving Examinations excellently.
I am dictated to write this letter to you as our School Administrator and at the same time, to the entire School Management at large for my heartfelt disappointments and for the hostile attitudes inflicted on me as a parent.
BACKGROUND:
Sometime in 2009, I was blessed to have a baby girl child who I happily named NIMURUNGI BETHANY (I wouldn’t have wished to reveal her name since she is a minor, but since she is still missing, I am compelled to). In 2010, her biological mother left for the Republic of South Africa, leaving the child behind with me. I raised the child single handedly untill she was of school going age. I enrolled her in one of the Nursery schools in Kabale town up to Middle class.
In 2014, I enrolled the child at your school Bishop ASILI Memorial Nursery and Primary School in Kabale in Top Class. When she reached Primary Four in 2018, I decided to make her sleep at school ~ in the boarding section.
P4 CLASS AND THE YEAR 2018 YOU MADE IT BE FOR ME:
The year 2018, Primary Four and boarding section became a turning point in my entire life. I have lived a life of misery and psychological torture since then. It’s the year my lovely daughter went missing from your school without clear explanation.
It was on 25th April, 2018, at around 9:00 am, when I rang one of the teachers (names withheld) trying to find out how the child was. The school was about to close the term and so, I wanted to make further arrangements of how to pick the girl from school.
As shock would have it, the teacher replied and I quote; “But you took the child away”. I became shocked, my ears seemed to have developed fog in them upon hearing such and so couldn’t get his reply very well. I asked him again that; “What are you saying?” He replied; “you came and took the child away when she had only sat for 2 exams”. Bambi and perhaps, as a teacher, didn’t know what took place exactly since he was busy performing his duties.
I immediately rushed to your school to find out what could have happened. I went directly to the (your) Headteacher’s office and lucky enough, I found you there. I humbly introduced myself to you and demanded to see my daughter. You stared at me through your eye glasses with an unsettled expression! You immediately called for the PTA Chairperson, Mr. Kanyamahane Isaiah, instead of calling for my child. I smelt a rat!
The two of you started telling me things I didn’t understand. Things like, “she will look for you in future…”! I said to you, where is my child? I want to see her? Then (you) Sr. Tusiime Margaret replied and told me that her mother took her away for medical treatment in Mulago. I posed another question to the duo; “why didn’t you then call me and find out whether I knew the person demanding the girl’? You replied and simply said that; “I didn’t know anything”. ‘I felt something cutting through my spine. I however, composed my heart and demanded to know, which; and about the mother you were referring to or talking about.
It was then that I reminded you that I and her step mother were the only known persons at school and were in records of the school as parents. So, I had to insist about which mother you were talking about. Because her biological mother had abandoned the child at the age of (1) one and she had never returned to Uganda for all the 8 years.
You, the Headteacher and the PTA chairman failed to give me a satisfying explanation. Then I demanded from you to see if the alleged mother had written anywhere requesting for the girl, but nothing was provided to me by you..
EXPERIENCE WITH POLICE (But briefly):
As shock would have it still, I rushed to the Police (Kabale CPS) and reported. As usual, our police took interest but after a few days, I saw a lack of interest in them. I proceeded to the Kigezi Regional Police Headquarters and explained my case. He, the then officer in charge, tried to do his best and after a few days too, he started speaking in tongues! I totally became confused. Kabale CPS had officer Wetawe (whether it’s the real sp of his name) as OC CID, and Regional had officer Kule respectively. I remember very well a one Tushabe police detective attached to Kigezi Regional Police Headquarters then, threatening me that even if you try going to court, you won’t win the case against the school because you don’t have enough money to outdistance the school!
After this point and as of now, I won’t divulge into much details of what has taken or is taking place in pursuit of looking for my missing child and what action to take or is taking place against the management of the school. But, steps are being taken albeit without any involvement of your school administration and management.
YOUR SCHOOL BURSAR:
You know very well that you employ Mr. Kalenzi Godfrey as a school Bursar. I think he owns some shares in your school due to the level of harassment he has since evinced against me! I met him one time in 2019 in Post Bank, Kabale Branch, and he frankly told me that as I quote; “if you went to court, in case we win you, you will have to pay us, and or if you won us, we will have to pay you”! ((Haaa, impunity ~ akajoogano just ~ from his own pockets or from the school funds funded by the parents?)) Just asking! He went further ahead and removed me from the Parents WhatsApp group. And recently in November, 9th 2022, he met me and said that my daughter will be sitting for Primary Seven (P.7), a sign that you and him know the whereabouts of my child. Kalenzi has been at the center of torturing me emotionally.
CONGRATULATIONS AND MY HUMBLE REGRETS.
I wish to congratulate you upon excellently passing PLE. You kept the mantle high. And keep it up. My cries are that the classmates of my daughter sat this PLE and performed very well. She was always amongst the best. She was always in the number one position. I would be proud like any other parent celebrating the performance of my child. I surely don’t know currently anything about her in any academic circles. Whether she sat or not, what grades she has attained because of your impunity and behaviour.
CONCLUSION
I wish to remind you that before you came to this school, the school was and it will always be because it’s our school as parents. Before you came, my other children had studied from that very school and they are at university and even others have completed university/college. But the level of impunity and indifference you have exhibited towards me as a parent is beyond measure.
Yours faithfully,
Ruzindantaro Tadeo
Parent
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