NYAGATARE-Four students at Nyamirama Secondary School in Karangazi sector are in Police custody after seriously assaulting their teacher.

Police identified the quartet as Charles Ruberwa 15, John Turatsinze, 17, Junior Rukundo 14 and Alexis Nuwamanya, all senior one students.

"They seriously beat up their teacher Ivan Odoka and left him without a tooth. We are still investigating the cause of the fight,” a police official at Karangazi Police Post told The New Times.

According to Police, four more suspects’ accomplices are still on the run.

"He was beaten by eight students on Monday during break time. We arrested four of the suspects but others escaped and we are still looking for them,” said a police official.

In an interview, Juma Byakatonda, the school’s head teacher attributed the incident to a group of students who resent learning in English.

"We employed qualified English teachers to improve the use of the language …but surprisingly a group of senior one and two students rejected it on the grounds that they preferred to be taught in vernacular (Kinyarwanda). They hatched a plot to beat up their teacher because he only teaches them in English,” the head teacher said.

"But we will hold a meeting with the parents to see how the students can be punished.”

 The District Director of Education, Martin Hakizimana said that serious punishments have been instituted against such cases indiscipline.

"We can never tolerate such students…they must be punished seriously,” he said.

A student who spoke to The New Times also criticised the action of her colleagues.

 "You can imagine how we are privileged that  the school administration hires qualified teachers to see that we can cope up with other international students, and such students come up to reject this chance. I hope the management will punish them seriously,” she said.

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