A student has committed suicide after alleged pressure from her mother to pursue science combination at A’level.
The deceased has been identified as Hawa Nantongo, a 17-year-old senior five student at Wampewo Ntake SS in Wakiso district.
According to the police preliminary report, Nantongo’s mother had been forcing her to take a combination of Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics (BCM), while Nantongo preferred to study Arts, specifically Divinity, Economics, and Luganda.
The report further states that a student informed police detectives that Nantongo was frequently in tears and experienced trauma due to this academic pressure, which may have contributed to her suicide.
It is reported that Nantongo escaped from school and hanged herself.
“Her body was found hanging by people around the school and has been taken to the city mortuary at Mulago for a post-mortem, as investigations continue to establish her actual cause of death,” said Luke Owoyesigyire, the Kampala Metropolitan deputy spokesperson.
Owoyesigyire said that Nantongo had sought help from her teachers to persuade her mother to let her pursue the combination she wanted, but nothing was done.
“We urge parents to sit with their children to understand their interests and abilities. Such cases can be avoided,” Owoyesigyire said, adding that investigations into the matter are still ongoing.
