NYACYONGA – A senior three student of Alliance High School in Kigali died Saturday night after desperately ignoring medical attention to sit examinations.Sylvere Maniraguha, fondly known to fellow students as ‘Ndugu’, fell very ill last Wednesday but persisted on to sit the ongoing national examinations. He had finished six papers by the time he died. He initially complained of stomach pains. He was also throwing up and had severe diarrhea.On Friday afternoon soon after the English language exam, Maniraguha was taken to the nearby Nyacyonga Health Centre on a stretcher by fellow students. His colleagues said he sat the Friday exams, especially the English paper, in a ‘very bad state’. He was isolated from the rest of the students and taken to sit next to a toilet guarded by a local defence officer, a student said on condition of anonymity. One student who preferred anonymity said that at one point, Maniraguha lost control of his troublesome tummy and ‘eased’ himself in front of the headmaster. “The headmaster (John Gasana) simply told him that, wihangane ukore ikizami (try and sit the exam)”, he said. However, Gasana said the fallen student received due medical attention. “We attended to him together with his relatives. When he walk up in the middle of the examination, we assisted him to the health centre. Doctors confirmed he had malaria.”“We never neglected him, and we don’t force students to do exams when they are clearly sick,” the headmaster, who was returning from the burial, said.However, some students partly blame the school administration for the death of their departed colleague. He went on: “Two other boys, Ismail Karara and Juma Niyonsenga who used to sleep next to (the late) Maniraguha also suffered from diarrhoea. They however went home for treatment. Actually I was later informed that Karara is now fine and back to school.” The deceased was buried yesterday at his ancestral home in Cyabingo, Musanze District in the Northern Province.Ends
