After nearly 15 hours of searching, 10-year-old Gani Decklan Ngamije, the son of a gospel artiste and pastor, Gabriel Ngamije, who went missing from school, was found. ALSO READ: Back-to-school: The essence of conversation with children The boy, a student at Glory Academy, was discovered after wandering away from school escaping from school punishment and was reportedly mistreated by street children who threw him into Nyabugogo river between Gisozi and Gatsata in Gasabo District. Some parents are accusing the school of mistreating the children. “Gratitude is owed to the family and friends who shared the poster on social media. The family who rescued him called his parents,” his father told The New Times. Ngamije, who leads a worship ministry called Christocentric Worship Ministry, said his son attends school in the morning and returns home by 5 pm. ALSO READ: Children should be active at school “However, on this particular occasion, he left at 2 pm and unexpectedly found himself in an unfamiliar place. He ended up crossing the Nyabugogo River and swimming to the other side. “Along the way, he encountered other children who stripped him of his clothes. Despite finding himself in unfamiliar territory, we are grateful to God that he did not suffer any harm or injuries,” he said. ALSO READ: How can the African child stay in school and learn? He said that his son was led to Gatsata by another child whom he met and took with him at home. As parents, he said, “We must emphasise the importance of adhering to school security protocols. Like in our son’s case, it’s alarming to realise he was able to leave the school premises without being noticed by security personnel.” This incident, he noted, underscores the necessity for stricter vigilance and adherence to safety guidelines within educational institutions. “Additionally, we extend our gratitude to the police and RIB, who collaborated closely with us to locate our son,” he added. Meanwhile, when contacted, Alphonse Sibomana, the principal of Glory Academy acknowledged that indeed the child had escaped from school, but denied allegations that the school uses corporal punishment against students. “The child indeed went missing but in collaboration with security organs and local leaders, he was found. We do not know yet the reason why the child escaped from school,” he explained.
