UHST is delighted to announce that our 10th Anniversary Building Appeal has brought in donations from our supporters of £75,300. This takes us half-way towards our goal of raising £150,000 to complete the major infrastructure of the two Uganda high schools we support.
During 2018, contributions from UHST supporters have made a huge difference to the Humanist High Schools.
Isaac Newton School has undergone a major transformation. A second girls’ hostel was opened last year. It provides 96 girls with a safe and comfortable place to sleep, overseen by a resident warden. Between 6 and 8 girls share each room, sleeping in double bunk beds. Each room has a ceiling to reduce noise disturbance and to cut down disease transfer by mosquitoes during
New Teaching Block at Isaac Newton School
the night. It is recognised locally as the best girls’ accommodation in the region.
Isaac Newton High School is in a remote rural location, far away from mains water. During 2018, the school alleviated its endemic water shortage by completing a 100,000 litre underground concrete tank that harvests rainwater from the roof of the girls’ hostel. This water is now used for washing clothes and for cleaning. It leaves the pumped water from the well on the valley floor to be used for drinking and for personal hygiene.
A fine new teaching block has just received the last lick of paint. It contains 3 large classrooms and a new A-level science laboratory. The lab has been constructed using funds from North-East of England Humanists and will be named the Ian Gurney laboratory to commemorate the Newcastle University Physicist, who was an active member of the NE Humanist group. The additional classrooms will
Stone walls to prevent soil slip
enable the school to halve class sizes, which had been exceeding 100, by running two parallel classes in each school year.
Because Isaac Newton High School is on the side of a hill, the building work has required flat stances to be excavated into the hillside, leaving soil cliffs behind each of the new buildings. These pose dangers of soil slip and flooding of the classrooms and hostels from heavy rain storms. Money raised in the appeal has allowed the school to secure the soil with stone walls and to construct culverts to divert rain water.
Before the end of the year the school and 5 local villages will be connected to mains electricity. This is the culmination of a two year project funded in
Humble but life transforming tap for piped water
large part by the World Bank but requiring a contribution from the community of £10,000 which two UHST supporters generously provided. The arrival of electricity in the school and community will trasform the lives of everyone in this remote rural community, and it represents a major benefit that the school has brought to the locality.
Things have been moving at an equally rapid pace at Mustard Seed School. At the end of last year, UHST found the money to connect the school to mains water, from a pumping station on the River Nile. The effect has been transformational. With running water on site washing and personal hygiene is hugely enhanced as well as obviating the need to have students taking time out of lessons to ferry water from the nearest bore hole and pump a half mile away.
Architect’s impression of multi-purpose Hall at Mustard Seed
Early in the year a new teaching block with 4 classrooms and staffrooms was completed with UHST funding. This will allow the school to operate two classes in each year, and so cut class sizes in half.
However, the major project during 2018 has been the completion of a multi-purpose hall that will be used for assemblies, music, dance, drama, school debates and for local community gatherings. Once the Humanist Counsellor has completed his training as a Humanist Celebrant, there are plans to use the hall for Humanist weddings, funerals and baby naming.
Our appeal has recently raised sufficient funds to do something to allevaite the unacceptable levels of overcrowding in the sleeping accommodation at the two schools. We have approved the refurbishment of the old boys hostel at Isaac Newton School, which had never been properly finished. The work includes putting in ceilings, plastering and painting. We have also sent the first instalment of funds for the construction of a much needed second boys hostel at Isaac Newton High School and a second girls’ hostel at Mustard Seed School. Artist’s impressions of these two buildings are shown below:
2nd Boys’ Hostel at Isaac Newton High School
2nd Girls’ Hostel at Mustard Seed School
We are seeking to raise more funds to finish off the basic infrastructure of the two schools. Remaining priorities at Mustard Seed School are to create from the old Hall a new Library & Information Centre, housing books and computers to support subject study; to enlarge and refurbish the science lab and to generally smarten up the school buildings and site. Isaac Newton School also needs a Library & Information Centre and study space that can also serve as a dining hall.
As these are the first two Humanist Secondary Schools in the world we are seeking to turn them into models for the rest of Africa and the world. We are working with the schools to help them create an exemplary standard of liberal-secular education and welfare. If you would like to help us in our efforts to complete the two schools then we would really appreciate additional donations through our website:
Moses Kamya, the Director of Mustard Seed School, reports on another year of progress:
“We closed for the end of 2018 holidays on the 7th of December with a total enrolment of 565 children, 333 of whom were in boarding. We conducted UNEB exams successfully and are expecting good results early next year. The increase in enrollment demonstrates growing community acceptance of secular education.
Thanks to our supporters in Uganda Humanist Schools Trust and particularly Steve and Hilary Hurd ( who make annual visits to the school and mobilise ongoing funding) we have made the following achievements over the past year:
Adding to our existing stock of text books to enable children to research and thus take charge of their own learning. Lots of other books to enable reading for pleasure.
Purchase of science equipment and chemicals to facilitate practicals that promote evidence-based learning.
Girls receiving Afripads
Giving all our girls free reusable sanitary pads that has promoted retention in school and confidence.
Our new 4-classroom block is now fully operational. Next year, this will allow us to reduce class sizes by running two parallel classes from senior one to four.
Construction of a multipurpose hall to be used upon completion for concerts, meetings, exams etc
Giving scholarships to 67 financially disadvantaged but bright children to attnd school so they can be able to help themselves and others in future.
Extension of piped water to the school via the national water authority.
Race on Sports Day
Fencing off the playing field site for students safety.
Humanism
In addition to teaching the curriculum prescribed by the Ministry of Education, we have been able to introduce critical thinking lessons. Dan Beat, from UK, visited in October holding a workshop on critical thinking for both staff and children. David Pollock from IHEU equally visited with his wife Louis in October and gave us courage in efforts to provide a humanist education to children in Uganda.
Children have participated in open debates, charity activities at school and in the nearby community. The humanist club football team narrowly missed winning this year’s club football competitions at the end of year.
Girls’ Football Team
Teacher Simon, the school’s Humanist Counsellor, has been attending an online course to become a humanist celebrant. The course was set up by Kato Mukasa of Uganda Humanist Association, with help from some Scottish Humanists. Simon will be graduating next february.
The school maintains good relations with the local community who supply the school with foodstuffs. As Mustard Seed School has grown it has become a substantail financial contributor to the local economy. The wages it pays to staff are spent in the local community on housing, foodstuffs and other articles. The school paid 2 million Uganda Shillings (£445) as local government tax to municipal authorities and 3 million USh (£667) as social security fund contributions to fund staff pensions.”
Peter Kisirinya, the Director of Isaac Newton High School, has just sent this report of impressive progress during 2018.
“The school ended its 2018 academic year on 7th December with a total of 573 students, out of which 369 are boarding students with 194 girls and 175 boys. This year we are proud to report tremendous achievements. Our students have performed even better in national examinations. Funds from supporters of Uganda Humanist Schools Trust have enabled us to make great strides forward in the physical development of the school. Here are some of the highlights:
Learning science by doing
As well as teaching the subjects prescribed in the national curriculum we have introduced special classes on critical thinking.
We teach science subjects mainly using a practical approach and this has encouraged our students to like science and to perform better in examinations, whereas in many other schools science is taught by talk and chalk and is seen to be difficult and uninteresting.
We have completed a large new classroom block, which will enable us to run two parallel classes in each year and so reduce class sizes and improve the quality of learning.
The classroom block includes an additional science laboratory – named to commemorate the life of Ian Gurney, a Physicist who had been an active member of North-East Humanists. The science lab has been fitted out with benches and stools. The next step will be to purchase equipment and chemicals so it can function as a specialist laboratory for A-level students.
New classroom block with science lab
We built an underground water tank of 98,000 litres at the girls’ wing to harvest all rainwater from the girls hostels. There are no prospects of getting a mains water supply, but the new tank will give us greater security over water supplies
We made 125 new smart examination chairs for the examination hall and students have used them during the recently concluded national exams. They are extra comfortable and we are hoping for even better grades this year.
We have had a total of 74 O level candidates and 40 A-level candidates sitting national exams from our school. We are very hopeful that they will produce good results.
UHST supporters provide scholarships for more than 70 students. These enable bright students to access education that would be seemingly impossible without the said assistance.
David Pollock teaching Humanism
We hosted visitors from the UK – from UHST in a Friendship week in July and David Pollock from Humanist UK, who met the humanist students association and gave a talk about humanism.
A total of 326 girls received reusable sanitary towels from UHST UK and this has improved attendance of girls in school by 40%.
UHST has provided more learning materials in the form of laboratory equipment and text books, and we are now proud of being one of the best equipped schools in the whole region.
Girls are accommodated in spacious modern hostels and the new girls hostel – named after Malala Yusufzai and funded by St Louis Ethical Society – ranks as the most modern school hostel in the region.
The school employs a total of 53 people directly, excluding those that are contracted to do works at the school.
New Power line beside computer lab
Through a Uganda government rural electrification project, UHST provided £10,000 and the World Bank a further £90,000, to extended a high voltage power from Hydro power dams on the River Nile to the school and the villages around it. Now a total if 58 homesteads are poised to be connected to the national power grid. This initiative will transform lives in the area. The power will greatly boost living standards and economic development in the area, making possible the establishment of agricultural processing factories and, at the same time, bringing more academic progress in school as students will have lighting for studying in the evenings.
Construction of retaining walls
We are currently constructing a perimeter fence around the girls hostel to improve the security.
We have works on the compound to reduce the steep drops arising from levelled sections for buildings. We are also constructing steps between buildings.
Academic grades have improved in all classes and more bright students are seeking admission. We are hopeful that this year performance in national examinations will be better than ever.
The school is the biggest enterprise in the area and is itself helping to promote economic development by employing staff and purchasing foodstuffs and other materials from the local community. In 2018 the school paid taxes of 3,245,000 Uganda shillings (£700) to local government and close to 5 million shillings (over £1,000) to central government in addition 6 million shillings (£1,300) to the social security saving scheme of staff.”
Posted: December 16, 2018 by Steve Hurd
Uganda Humanist Schools Trust’s infrastructure appeal reaches the half-way point
During 2018, contributions from UHST supporters have made a huge difference to the Humanist High Schools.
Isaac Newton School has undergone a major transformation. A second girls’ hostel was opened last year. It provides 96 girls with a safe and comfortable place to sleep, overseen by a resident warden. Between 6 and 8 girls share each room, sleeping in double bunk beds. Each room has a ceiling to reduce noise disturbance and to cut down disease transfer by mosquitoes during
the night. It is recognised locally as the best girls’ accommodation in the region.
Isaac Newton High School is in a remote rural location, far away from mains water. During 2018, the school alleviated its endemic water shortage by completing a 100,000 litre underground concrete tank that harvests rainwater from the roof of the girls’ hostel. This water is now used for washing clothes and for cleaning. It leaves the pumped water from the well on the valley floor to be used for drinking and for personal hygiene.
A fine new teaching block has just received the last lick of paint. It contains 3 large classrooms and a new A-level science laboratory. The lab has been constructed using funds from North-East of England Humanists and will be named the Ian Gurney laboratory to commemorate the Newcastle University Physicist, who was an active member of the NE Humanist group. The additional classrooms will
enable the school to halve class sizes, which had been exceeding 100, by running two parallel classes in each school year.
Because Isaac Newton High School is on the side of a hill, the building work has required flat stances to be excavated into the hillside, leaving soil cliffs behind each of the new buildings. These pose dangers of soil slip and flooding of the classrooms and hostels from heavy rain storms. Money raised in the appeal has allowed the school to secure the soil with stone walls and to construct culverts to divert rain water.
Before the end of the year the school and 5 local villages will be connected to mains electricity. This is the culmination of a two year project funded in
large part by the World Bank but requiring a contribution from the community of £10,000 which two UHST supporters generously provided. The arrival of electricity in the school and community will trasform the lives of everyone in this remote rural community, and it represents a major benefit that the school has brought to the locality.
Things have been moving at an equally rapid pace at Mustard Seed School. At the end of last year, UHST found the money to connect the school to mains water, from a pumping station on the River Nile. The effect has been transformational. With running water on site washing and personal hygiene is hugely enhanced as well as obviating the need to have students taking time out of lessons to ferry water from the nearest bore hole and pump a half mile away.
Early in the year a new teaching block with 4 classrooms and staffrooms was completed with UHST funding. This will allow the school to operate two classes in each year, and so cut class sizes in half.
However, the major project during 2018 has been the completion of a multi-purpose hall that will be used for assemblies, music, dance, drama, school debates and for local community gatherings. Once the Humanist Counsellor has completed his training as a Humanist Celebrant, there are plans to use the hall for Humanist weddings, funerals and baby naming.
Our appeal has recently raised sufficient funds to do something to allevaite the unacceptable levels of overcrowding in the sleeping accommodation at the two schools. We have approved the refurbishment of the old boys hostel at Isaac Newton School, which had never been properly finished. The work includes putting in ceilings, plastering and painting. We have also sent the first instalment of funds for the construction of a much needed second boys hostel at Isaac Newton High School and a second girls’ hostel at Mustard Seed School. Artist’s impressions of these two buildings are shown below:
We are seeking to raise more funds to finish off the basic infrastructure of the two schools. Remaining priorities at Mustard Seed School are to create from the old Hall a new Library & Information Centre, housing books and computers to support subject study; to enlarge and refurbish the science lab and to generally smarten up the school buildings and site. Isaac Newton School also needs a Library & Information Centre and study space that can also serve as a dining hall.
As these are the first two Humanist Secondary Schools in the world we are seeking to turn them into models for the rest of Africa and the world. We are working with the schools to help them create an exemplary standard of liberal-secular education and welfare. If you would like to help us in our efforts to complete the two schools then we would really appreciate additional donations through our website:
https://uhst.org/
https://uhst.org/donate/make-a-donation/
Posted: December 12, 2018 by Steve Hurd
A Further Year of Progress at Mustard Seed School
Moses Kamya, the Director of Mustard Seed School, reports on another year of progress:
Giving all our girls free reusable sanitary pads that has promoted retention in school and confidence.
Fencing off the playing field site for students safety.
Humanism
In addition to teaching the curriculum prescribed by the Ministry of Education, we have been able to introduce critical thinking lessons. Dan Beat, from UK, visited in October holding a workshop on critical thinking for both staff and children. David Pollock from IHEU equally visited with his wife Louis in October and gave us courage in efforts to provide a humanist education to children in Uganda.
Teacher Simon, the school’s Humanist Counsellor, has been attending an online course to become a humanist celebrant. The course was set up by Kato Mukasa of Uganda Humanist Association, with help from some Scottish Humanists. Simon will be graduating next february.
Posted: December 8, 2018 by Steve Hurd
Isaac Newton School’s big leap forward in 2018
Peter Kisirinya, the Director of Isaac Newton High School, has just sent this report of impressive progress during 2018.
“The school ended its 2018 academic year on 7th December with a total of 573 students, out of which 369 are boarding students with 194 girls and 175 boys. This year we are proud to report tremendous achievements. Our students have performed even better in national examinations. Funds from supporters of Uganda Humanist Schools Trust have enabled us to make great strides forward in the physical development of the school. Here are some of the highlights:
As well as teaching the subjects prescribed in the national curriculum we have introduced special classes on critical thinking.
We built an underground water tank of 98,000 litres at the girls’ wing to harvest all rainwater from the girls hostels. There are no prospects of getting a mains water supply, but the new tank will give us greater security over water supplies
We hosted visitors from the UK – from UHST in a Friendship week in July and David Pollock from Humanist UK, who met the humanist students association and gave a talk about humanism.
Through a Uganda government rural electrification project, UHST provided £10,000 and the World Bank a further £90,000, to extended a high voltage power from Hydro power dams on the River Nile to the school and the villages around it. Now a total if 58 homesteads are poised to be connected to the national power grid. This initiative will transform lives in the area. The power will greatly boost living standards and economic development in the area, making possible the establishment of agricultural processing factories and, at the same time, bringing more academic progress in school as students will have lighting for studying in the evenings.
We are currently constructing a perimeter fence around the girls hostel to improve the security.