The first two Humanist Schools in the world were established in Uganda in 2005. A new Directory of Humanist Schools in Uganda reveals that the number of such schools has increased to 12, and more are being established.
All the schools were founded by Ugandans with Humanist values and a strong commitment to the needy communities they serve. Most schools are rural, some quite remote and a number in areas where many family members have died in the most tragic of circumstances.
All schools share the aim of offering a safe, caring and effective learning environment for children who have experienced poverty and insecurity. The Humanist Schools accept a duty of care to every student, who has the right to expect:
The highest standard of education, providing the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for success in the modern world.
A happy and purposeful schooling with abundant opportunities for personal development.
Teachers who strive hard to develop the capabilities of every student.
A safe, disciplined and caring environment, which is free from physical and verbal abuse.
Teachers and students who work together in mutual respect.
Furthermore, education in Humanist Schools encourages:
freedom of thought and expression;
rational enquiry, science and the need to support argument with evidence;
human rights, gender and racial equality, and the rights of individuals to choose their personal life stance;
high levels of achievement and social responsibility.
Uganda Humanist Schools Trust is organising an International Friendship Visit to some of these schools in August 2020. There will also be an opportunity to attend the 3rd Uganda Humanist Schools Conference at Isaac Newton High School. Places are limited but if you wish to support the schools in their endeavours, are fit and healthy and have the endurance to cope with challenging journeys then please contact stevehurd@uhst.org for further information.
We have just heard from Juma Siriwayo that construction of a brand new primary school for the Katumba community on the Congo border of Uganda has started with foundation work on the Nursery section. Weather conditions have been challenging. Very heavy rains have hindered progress. Floods have washed out two key bridges on the road to the school site. Lorries carrying building materials are having to take side roads and ford the River Humya to deliver materials on site.
Uganda National Roads Authority have set up a work camp to repair the roads and bridges that have been affected by the floods, but it will take until March before things are back to normal.
The attached photos show initial work on the site. They show materials being delivered to the site, tanks for storing water, and Juma helping to dig trenches for the foundations. Juma reports that: “The builder is doing really good work and the Directors, other parents and local leaders are helping and organising close supervision to ensure that all the work is done perfectly. Our whole community is happy with this amazing initiative and we are very grateful to the Uganda Humanist Schools Trust (UHST) team for their decision and commitment to support our community with a new school. It is the first of its kind in this community. We really feel proud of the school site. Due to its location and altitude, no part of it was affected by floods and we have high hopes that buildings on the site will endure to serve the needs of many future generations of children.“
If ever a community deserved a new school for their children, it is the parents of Katumba, a small village in the foothills of the Ruwenzori Mountains, overlooking the troubled Eastern Province of the Congo.
5 years ago, the community was ripped apart when an insurrection, led by a Congolese witchdoctor, resulted in the deaths of 100 of the village men, and left behind destitute wives and children. The mothers, and remaining families, could no longer afford the fees charged by established schools, so they came together in a huge community effort to build their own Katumba Parents’ School. Rejecting the superstitions and witchcraft that had brought the community so many problems, the school runs on Humanist principles, inspired by Juma Siriwayo, a young Parent Director. The classrooms are crude temporary structures, made from wood hewn from the surrounding forests and the small plot of land is subject to flash floods. However, the native-born teachers have shown great commitment and ingenuity.
When we visited the school in 2018 and 2019 we were astonished by the high standard of the children’s spoken English and by the enthusiastic and happy atmosphere in which they were learning. This has contributed to very good results in the Primary Leaving Certificate, enabling a few of the best pupils to attend Isaac Newton High School, where they are proving to be star students.
Following our enthusiastic report about the school, two long-standing supporters of Uganda Humanist Schools Trust have pledged £80,000 to the construction of a new school on a more suitable site. The land was donated by Teopista Nanganda, a Director of the school, who is also grandmother to a number of the pupils. After a number of iterations, we have agreed with the parents a plan for the new school (below) and a programme to complete the building work in 4 phases over 3 to 4 years. The proposals have brought hope to everyone involved with the school and, indeed, to the whole community. The school’s construction, which will start immediately, will create employment and put much-needed income into a community which deserves a better future.
Posted: February 1, 2020 by Steve Hurd
Uganda Humanist Schools: A Growing Movement
All the schools were founded by Ugandans with Humanist values and a strong commitment to the needy communities they serve. Most schools are rural, some quite remote and a number in areas where many family members have died in the most tragic of circumstances.
All schools share the aim of offering a safe, caring and effective learning environment for children who have experienced poverty and insecurity. The Humanist Schools accept a duty of care to every student, who has the right to expect:
Furthermore, education in Humanist Schools encourages:
Uganda Humanist Schools Trust is organising an International Friendship Visit to some of these schools in August 2020. There will also be an opportunity to attend the 3rd Uganda Humanist Schools Conference at Isaac Newton High School. Places are limited but if you wish to support the schools in their endeavours, are fit and healthy and have the endurance to cope with challenging journeys then please contact stevehurd@uhst.org for further information.
Posted: December 26, 2019 by Steve Hurd
Cutting the turf on the new Katumba Nursery School
We have just heard from Juma Siriwayo that construction of a brand new primary school for the Katumba community on the Congo border of Uganda has started with foundation work on the Nursery section. Weather conditions have been challenging. Very heavy rains have hindered progress. Floods have washed out two key bridges on the road to the school site. Lorries carrying building materials are having to take side roads and ford the River Humya to deliver materials on site.
Posted: December 8, 2019 by Steve Hurd
A New Primary School for the Katumba Community
If ever a community deserved a new school for their children, it is the parents of Katumba, a small village in the foothills of the Ruwenzori Mountains, overlooking the troubled Eastern Province of the Congo.
5 years ago, the community was ripped apart when an insurrection, led by a Congolese witchdoctor, resulted in the deaths of 100 of the village men, and left behind destitute wives and children. The mothers, and remaining families, could no longer afford the fees charged by established schools, so they came together in a huge community effort to build their own Katumba Parents’ School. Rejecting the superstitions and witchcraft that had brought the community so many problems, the school runs on Humanist principles, inspired by Juma Siriwayo, a young Parent Director. The classrooms are crude temporary structures, made from wood hewn from the surrounding forests and the small plot of land is subject to flash floods. However, the native-born teachers have shown great commitment and ingenuity.
When we visited the school in 2018 and 2019 we were astonished by the high standard of the children’s spoken English and by the enthusiastic and happy atmosphere in which they were learning. This has contributed to very good results in the Primary Leaving Certificate, enabling a few of the best pupils to attend Isaac Newton High School, where they are proving to be star students.
Following our enthusiastic report about the school, two long-standing supporters of Uganda Humanist Schools Trust have pledged £80,000 to the construction of a new school on a more suitable site. The land was donated by Teopista Nanganda, a Director of the school, who is also grandmother to a number of the pupils. After a number of iterations, we have agreed with the parents a plan for the new school (below) and a programme to complete the building work in 4 phases over 3 to 4 years. The proposals have brought hope to everyone involved with the school and, indeed, to the whole community. The school’s construction, which will start immediately, will create employment and put much-needed income into a community which deserves a better future.