STAKEHOLDERS REVIVE TALKS FOR PEACE IN SCHOOLS DURING ARUA DIOCESE EDUCATION WEEK

 Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Asega, Arua Diocese Education Secretary speaking during the Education Week on Thursday August 27, at Logiri Girl’s SS.

 By Erema George

Arua City

The increased violence and lack of peace in schools has drawn the attention of stakeholders in Arua Diocese with a demand for peace building in the schools across the Diocese.

Many schools in West Nile still face student unrest and violent clashes including attacks by the community on the schools making peace building a necessity in the schools.

The Arua Diocese Education Secretary Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Asega revealed during the 2026 Education Week that about 13 schools across the Diocese were violently attacked by the community adding to the violent acts by the students themselves deterring peace in schools. He calls for collaboration to achieve peace in schools;

“There are so many players in a school; the learners are there, the administration is there, the managers are there, the church is there, the government is there, the old students are there, and our neighbors are there but sometimes we may fail to work together very well. He noted.

Rev. Fr. Jimmy Apangu, the Parish priest of Yumbe Catholic Parish attributes the lack of Peace in schools partly to religious differences and lack of commitment to prayers emphasizing on a need to deliberately promote peace;

“Religions fight, but also in some catholic founded schools when they mention the issue of prayers to promote peace, there are schools that pray from Monday to Monday and they are having strikes termly. Do we have prayers that is ceremonial? We really need deliberate peace promotion, we need an action on peace, and we need to deliberately involve ourselves to see that we create peace,” Fr. Apangu noted.

Stakeholders during a talk on fostering Peace for school improvement at Logiri Girl’s SS during the diocesan education week.

However, Rev. Fr. Peter Debo, the executive secretary at the doctrine department of Uganda Episcopal Conference Uganda Catholic secretariat noted that, “If we can follow the procedures, it might help us and one of the recommendations of peace building has been collaboration or partnering with the religious leaders. Religions are supposed to unite people. That’s exactly what religion means. I think the key, principal stakeholders who matter in handling these issues should be involved and we also need to make sure we are informed on how to handle these issues,” he said.

Rev. Fr. Peter Debo, the executive secretary at the doctrine department of Uganda Episcopal Conference Uganda Catholic secretariat facilitating on peace building during Arua diocese education week.

Peace building in an institution involves a deliberate process of establishing fair policies, open communication, and inclusive practices to prevent disputes, resolve tensions, and foster a cooperative environment.

Written by newsroom-radiopacis