Saboti MP calls for united efforts to curb school arson

• Saboti MP Caleb Amisi is calling upon education stakeholders and parents to join hands in ending the school unrest and arson

• The lawmaker says the cases of school unrest and arson reflect cracks within society and require honest conversations between adults and young people.

• He further called on the government to ease the financial burden facing parents as  economic pressures often leave mothers and fathers with little time to engage meaningfully with their children.

Saboti Member of Parliament (MP) Caleb Amisi has called for a united national effort to address the growing menace of school arson, saying the destruction of learning institutions is a symptom of deeper social challenges that can only be resolved through collective responsibility.

Speaking at Sango Comprehensive School during the commissioning of newly constructed modern classrooms, the lawmaker urged leaders, education stakeholders and parents to focus on the underlying causes driving students to torch schools instead of concentrating solely on punishment.

Amisi argued that cases of school unrest and arson reflect cracks within society and require honest conversations between adults and young people.

“The issue of school arson is about our social fabric and it starts with us as leaders. We must return as a country and sit down with our children. We must talk to them and listen to them because they are still young,” Amisi said.

He emphasized that guidance and mentorship cannot be outsourced, noting that the responsibility of raising responsible citizens rests squarely on families and community leaders.

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“Nobody will come from heaven to teach our children. It is us, the leaders, the elders and the parents. We must sit with our children because they depend on us. God has given them to us as a gift and we should not leave them in the hands of evil,” he added.

The MP further challenged elected leaders across the country to find ways of easing the financial burden facing parents, arguing that economic pressures often leave mothers and fathers with little time to engage meaningfully with their children.

According to Amisi, many parents are forced to spend long hours searching for income to meet school fees and household expenses, reducing opportunities for mentorship at home.

“We should reduce the burden of school fees on parents. Many of them do not stay away from their children because they do not care. They are busy looking for ways to provide for them. When parents have time, they can guide, advice and support their children better,” Amisi stated.

Residents and teachers who attended the event welcomed the appeal for dialogue and understanding.

His remarks come amid growing concern over repeated incidents of school fires reported in various parts of the country, with education stakeholders increasingly calling for preventive measures that address student welfare, parental involvement and moral guidance alongside discipline and security interventions.

By Osborne Manyengo