Senior 4 students at the Humanist High Schools in Uganda have performed well in their 2020 O-level exams.
The Uganda Certificate in Education, widely referred to as Ordinary-level exams, are taken at age 16. To gain an overall grade, students must pass in all of 7 core subjects. The final total across the 7 provides an aggregate grade, which forms the basis of league tables, which rank schools by district and nationally. Just over 6% of students in Uganda achieve an aggregate grade 1 over 7 subjects.
In 2020, the final year of study was very much affected by school closures due to Covid. To help students, the UNEB exam board assessed them on the basis of a restricted syllabus, which the schools were informed of some months before the final exam.
22% of Isaac Newton students gained Grade 1. This placed the school 9 out of 36 schools in its district. If they had included grade 2, then the school would have been higher, as 40% of its students gained either 1 or 2.
Another pleasing feature is that the school produced the 3rd highest performing individual student in the District, and 2 were in the top 20 students. The school is clearly operating at the highest level and its teachers extend even the brightest students.
At Mustard Seed School in Busota, 10% of students gained Grade 1, well above the national average. The school ranked 6th out of 30 schools in its District. A feature of Uganda, in common with most other countries, is that the highest school performance is in richer neighbourhoods of the country. This means that results are higher around Kampala, the capital, where most higher income families live, and declines towards the more remote rural areas, where more people depend upon subsistence agriculture.
The results were a source of joy among students and families. The picture shows Sylvia Nakaibale, from Mustard Seed School, with her family. She holds a copy of the national newspaper containing the UCE results. Sylvia is the only child in secondary school in her family. All her older brothers dropped out of school due to lack of money to pay fees. Her father is a herbalist, but earns little money. He is proud of his daughter’s achievement, which has only been possible because she gained a scholarship that was generously funded by a UHST supporter. His hope now is that Sylvia will be able to get support to study for UACE (Advanced level) and possibly later to enrol in university to become the shining light in their family.
There can be little doubt that UHST scholarships provide a vital life line to a better future for bright young people from poorer homes. As the network of Humanist Schools expands we shall need to find more people who are willing to support children through their education.
I started school in 2003. Ms. Monic, my nursery teacher, moved me up 3 classes in one year and, as my academic performance was excellent, she arranged for me to transfer to a better school for my primary education, which I completed in 2009 with very good Primary Leaving Exam grades.
In 2010, I joined Kyabazinga college to study for O-levels. For a time four children from my family were in the same school but eventually my father found it impossible to pay fees for us all. As I was performing well, I was allowed to complete my O-levels, but my 3 brothers had no option but to leave.
Despite getting decent O-levels, due to the bad financial state at home, I could not join the Senior 5 A-level class until almost the end of term two. One day, I met Mr. Peter Kilimani, an Agriculture teacher at Mustard Seed Humanist School. After telling him about my family circumstances and ambitions he arranged for me to apply for a place at his school. From that point on, my life and fortunes were transformed. My father was delighted by the idea of me joining the mighty Mustard Seed Humanist School in Busota.
I joined the school at the beginning of the third term of my senior five in 2014. Joining a new environment could be difficult, but as a new student of Mustard Seed I was made to feel at home by teachers and fellow students. Mustard Seed is a happy school with very good relations among staff and students.
In 2015 when I entered senior six, my father fell sick. He was admitted to hospital and was on sick bed for some good months. Everything our family owned, such as land and livestock were sold to pay hospital bills. When my father died, I lost hope, but the school was marvelous. They stepped in immediately and waived my fees so that I could complete my A-level studies in Agriculture, Entrepreneurship, Geography with subsidiary Computing. I am so grateful to the school Director, Mr. Moses Kamya, and the entire school for giving me the opportunity to complete my secondary education.
The favorable learning environment, good teaching staff and the well-equipped library at Mustard Seed School enabled me to gain three A-levels with grades C, D and E, which were very high at the time for a rural school in Uganda. Although I was one of the top students in 2015, I was unable to join University immediately and had to spend a full year looking for money to pay university fees.
I met great teachers, mentors and advisors at Mustard Seed, who have tremendously changed my life. After completing my A-levels, the staff were still there for me. My agriculture teacher, Mr. Samuel Ikendi, found me a three-month contract with an NGO where he was working. While working in the NGO, I made very many friends, both Ugandans and Americans. One day, an American guy asked me my highest level of education and after telling him, he decided to sponsor my university education. I am now completing a four-year B.Sc. degree course in Agriculture at Busoga University. Due to the strong academic foundation I gained at Mustard Seed School, I have coped well with university-level studies. My current Collective Grade Point Average (CGPA) is 4.45 out of 5 and I am currently finalising my final research project with an NGO in Kamuli and Mr. Ikendi is my field supervisor. I have been told to expect to graduate with a first-class honours degree.
I attribute my success to the solid academic grounding I gained at Mustard Seed School and would like to extend my sincere and heart-felt appreciation to the entire Mustard Seed Humanist School, Busota for having shaped me to what I am now.
Long live Mustard Seed Humanist School and its motto: “Commit to Excel”
Parents Celebrating their children’s Grade 1 achievements
Despite poverty, Covid school closures and the deaths of fathers in an uprising in 2016, boys and girls from Katumba Parents Humanist Primary School gained outstanding results in their Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE)*. Of the 16 who sat their exams,
38% (6) gained Grade 1
62% (10) gained Grade 2
As one of the most remote schools in Uganda, just a few kilometres from the Congo border, this is a huge achievement for the children, teachers, ancillary staff and supportive parents in the Katumba community, who can all feel justly proud of their achievement.
Two of the children. Maureen Nyangoma and Masereka Ayubu, whose fathers were killed in the 2016 insurrection owe a huge debt of gratitude to the determination and resilience of their mothers. After her husband died, Maureen’s mother, Margret, was left to bring up 10 children in a semi-permanent mud and wattle house, making a little money from selling any surplus food she grew. Masereka’s mother, Sarah, was left in similar circumstances caring for 8 children. They are both delighted with what their children have achieved through hard work and see their success building a legacy of hope for their entire families’ futures.
Maureen Nyangoma with her mother Margret
Masereka Ayubu with his mother Sarah
Juma Irumba Siriwayo, the school Director, says support from Uganda Humanist Schools Trust, working in partnership with Humanist Aid (Sweden), has transformed their situation. “Since 2018 we have had funds to pay our teachers regularly and to support them during the Covid closures. Staff morale has improved. We have provided partial scholarships to keep bright children from struggling families in school. We have also been able to give our children text and reading books, which have improved the quality and opportunities for learning.”
As a result of funds provided by a generous UHST supporter, Katumba is close to completing the construction of a fine new school on a safe site. Nursery, infant and junior classrooms are finished, as are toilets, cook house, mains water supply and electricity. The admin block with staff rooms, a library and computer room will be finished in a few weeks. The school director and his colleagues have worked tirelessly to keep the building work going through numerous covid lockdowns and adverse weather conditions linked to climate change.
Although it is tragic that many fathers will never know of their children’s’ achievements, the surviving mothers of Katumba can certainly be proud of their children and of their own efforts to create a better life in a more caring and rational world.
When the school reopens after the latest Covid lockdown UHST will provide some funds for a party to celebrate the opening of the new school and the outstanding 2020 exam results.
* The PLE has 4 pass grades and one fail grade, but all Katumba children gained passes in the highest two grades. The size of the achievement can be seen by comparison with the averages of all other primary schools in Uganda, where:
Only 11% gained Grade 1
46% gained Grade 2
And the rest gained lower pass grades or failed:
20% gained Grade 3
13% gained Grade 4
And 10% of all children entered for the exam Failed
Posted: August 4, 2021 by Steve Hurd
Humanist High Schools break the Grade Barrier
Senior 4 students at the Humanist High Schools in Uganda have performed well in their 2020 O-level exams.
The Uganda Certificate in Education, widely referred to as Ordinary-level exams, are taken at age 16. To gain an overall grade, students must pass in all of 7 core subjects. The final total across the 7 provides an aggregate grade, which forms the basis of league tables, which rank schools by district and nationally. Just over 6% of students in Uganda achieve an aggregate grade 1 over 7 subjects.
In 2020, the final year of study was very much affected by school closures due to Covid. To help students, the UNEB exam board assessed them on the basis of a restricted syllabus, which the schools were informed of some months before the final exam.
22% of Isaac Newton students gained Grade 1. This placed the school 9 out of 36 schools in its district. If they had included grade 2, then the school would have been higher, as 40% of its students gained either 1 or 2.
Another pleasing feature is that the school produced the 3rd highest performing individual student in the District, and 2 were in the top 20 students. The school is clearly operating at the highest level and its teachers extend even the brightest students.
At Mustard Seed School in Busota, 10% of students gained Grade 1, well above the national average. The school ranked 6th out of 30 schools in its District. A feature of Uganda, in common with most other countries, is that the highest school performance is in richer neighbourhoods of the country. This means that results are higher around Kampala, the capital, where most higher income families live, and declines towards the more remote rural areas, where more people depend upon subsistence agriculture.
The results were a source of joy among students and families. The picture shows Sylvia Nakaibale, from Mustard Seed School, with her family. She holds a copy of the national newspaper containing the UCE results. Sylvia is the only child in secondary school in her family. All her older brothers dropped out of school due to lack of money to pay fees. Her father is a herbalist, but earns little money. He is proud of his daughter’s achievement, which has only been possible because she gained a scholarship that was generously funded by a UHST supporter. His hope now is that Sylvia will be able to get support to study for UACE (Advanced level) and possibly later to enrol in university to become the shining light in their family.
There can be little doubt that UHST scholarships provide a vital life line to a better future for bright young people from poorer homes. As the network of Humanist Schools expands we shall need to find more people who are willing to support children through their education.
Posted: July 27, 2021 by Steve Hurd
A life transformed by effort, education and kindness
Letter of thanks from David Banige
I started school in 2003. Ms. Monic, my nursery teacher, moved me up 3 classes in one year and, as my academic performance was excellent, she arranged for me to transfer to a better school for my primary education, which I completed in 2009 with very good Primary Leaving Exam grades.
In 2010, I joined Kyabazinga college to study for O-levels. For a time four children from my family were in the same school but eventually my father found it impossible to pay fees for us all. As I was performing well, I was allowed to complete my O-levels, but my 3 brothers had no option but to leave.
Despite getting decent O-levels, due to the bad financial state at home, I could not join the Senior 5 A-level class until almost the end of term two. One day, I met Mr. Peter Kilimani, an Agriculture teacher at Mustard Seed Humanist School. After telling him about my family circumstances and ambitions he arranged for me to apply for a place at his school. From that point on, my life and fortunes were transformed. My father was delighted by the idea of me joining the mighty Mustard Seed Humanist School in Busota.
I joined the school at the beginning of the third term of my senior five in 2014. Joining a new environment could be difficult, but as a new student of Mustard Seed I was made to feel at home by teachers and fellow students. Mustard Seed is a happy school with very good relations among staff and students.
In 2015 when I entered senior six, my father fell sick. He was admitted to hospital and was on sick bed for some good months. Everything our family owned, such as land and livestock were sold to pay hospital bills. When my father died, I lost hope, but the school was marvelous. They stepped in immediately and waived my fees so that I could complete my A-level studies in Agriculture, Entrepreneurship, Geography with subsidiary Computing. I am so grateful to the school Director, Mr. Moses Kamya, and the entire school for giving me the opportunity to complete my secondary education.
The favorable learning environment, good teaching staff and the well-equipped library at Mustard Seed School enabled me to gain three A-levels with grades C, D and E, which were very high at the time for a rural school in Uganda. Although I was one of the top students in 2015, I was unable to join University immediately and had to spend a full year looking for money to pay university fees.
I met great teachers, mentors and advisors at Mustard Seed, who have tremendously changed my life. After completing my A-levels, the staff were still there for me. My agriculture teacher, Mr. Samuel Ikendi, found me a three-month contract with an NGO where he was working. While working in the NGO, I made very many friends, both Ugandans and Americans. One day, an American guy asked me my highest level of education and after telling him, he decided to sponsor my university education. I am now completing a four-year B.Sc. degree course in Agriculture at Busoga University. Due to the strong academic foundation I gained at Mustard Seed School, I have coped well with university-level studies. My current Collective Grade Point Average (CGPA) is 4.45 out of 5 and I am currently finalising my final research project with an NGO in Kamuli and Mr. Ikendi is my field supervisor. I have been told to expect to graduate with a first-class honours degree.
I attribute my success to the solid academic grounding I gained at Mustard Seed School and would like to extend my sincere and heart-felt appreciation to the entire Mustard Seed Humanist School, Busota for having shaped me to what I am now.
Long live Mustard Seed Humanist School and its motto: “Commit to Excel”
David Banige
Posted: July 21, 2021 by Steve Hurd
Katumba orphans succeed against the odds
Despite poverty, Covid school closures and the deaths of fathers in an uprising in 2016, boys and girls from Katumba Parents Humanist Primary School gained outstanding results in their Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE)*. Of the 16 who sat their exams,
As one of the most remote schools in Uganda, just a few kilometres from the Congo border, this is a huge achievement for the children, teachers, ancillary staff and supportive parents in the Katumba community, who can all feel justly proud of their achievement.
Two of the children. Maureen Nyangoma and Masereka Ayubu, whose fathers were killed in the 2016 insurrection owe a huge debt of gratitude to the determination and resilience of their mothers. After her husband died, Maureen’s mother, Margret, was left to bring up 10 children in a semi-permanent mud and wattle house, making a little money from selling any surplus food she grew. Masereka’s mother, Sarah, was left in similar circumstances caring for 8 children. They are both delighted with what their children have achieved through hard work and see their success building a legacy of hope for their entire families’ futures.
Juma Irumba Siriwayo, the school Director, says support from Uganda Humanist Schools Trust, working in partnership with Humanist Aid (Sweden), has transformed their situation. “Since 2018 we have had funds to pay our teachers regularly and to support them during the Covid closures. Staff morale has improved. We have provided partial scholarships to keep bright children from struggling families in school. We have also been able to give our children text and reading books, which have improved the quality and opportunities for learning.”
As a result of funds provided by a generous UHST supporter, Katumba is close to completing the construction of a fine new school on a safe site. Nursery, infant and junior classrooms are finished, as are toilets, cook house, mains water supply and electricity. The admin block with staff rooms, a library and computer room will be finished in a few weeks. The school director and his colleagues have worked tirelessly to keep the building work going through numerous covid lockdowns and adverse weather conditions linked to climate change.
Although it is tragic that many fathers will never know of their children’s’ achievements, the surviving mothers of Katumba can certainly be proud of their children and of their own efforts to create a better life in a more caring and rational world.
When the school reopens after the latest Covid lockdown UHST will provide some funds for a party to celebrate the opening of the new school and the outstanding 2020 exam results.
* The PLE has 4 pass grades and one fail grade, but all Katumba children gained passes in the highest two grades. The size of the achievement can be seen by comparison with the averages of all other primary schools in Uganda, where:
And the rest gained lower pass grades or failed: