Students of St Benard's Mannya secondary school in Rakai district have been instructed to return home following an inferno that gutted down the boys' dormitory last night and left nine students dead.
The decision to close the school was reached at an emergency meeting between security and the school administration which was also attended by the defence minister Gen Elly Tumwine and the director general of Internal Security Organs (ISO); Brig Kaka Bagyenda on Monday.
Except for the candidates in senior six and four classes who are writing their final examinations, all the other students in lower classes have been instructed to return to their homes until further notice.
John Baptist Ssemwanga, the school deputy headteacher in-charge of academics confirmed that premature closure of their term, saying they have also sent out notices to all parents to pick their children.
Police arrested six people including three senior four students in relation to the inferno. Those arrested are; Stephen Kankiroho, Dickson Kisuule and Enoch Mugurusi all senior four students. Also arrested together with the students are teachers; Achilles Mugerwa and Johnson Mugisha as well as Adolf Kaggwa, the school's warden.
The arrested students were serving a suspension from school over indiscipline and are suspected to have participated or masterminded starting the fire. The other suspects according to police are going to help in investigations.
Meanwhile, the minister for Education and Sports Janet Museveni visited the burnt school dormitories where she cursed the arsonists and delivered government condolence to parents and community.
She blamed the incident on the collapse in the value systems in which parents and communities have failed to raise their children in such way that they can separate wrong from right or good from bad. She assured the nation that government will get to the bottom of this unfortunate incident.
"It is our responsibility as government to search and find the people who did this, so that they be judged accordingly; and we shall do it." she said.
Ms Museveni further revealed that government is going to take charge of the treatment of all the injured students as well as providing financial support to the families that lost their children.
The Masaka diocesan Catholic Bishop John Baptist Kaggwa, who superintends over the affected school also condemned the inhuman act that ended innocent lives, demanding that security helps them find the real culprits.
Bishop Kaggwa is afraid that their Austrian partners, Cotton On Foundation, who helped them establish the school may be scared by the incident and stop their support.