The newly published 2013 Annual Report and Accounts of UHST shows a £20,000 fall in donations between 2012 and 2013 and Steve Hurd, the Chair of UHST, says there has been a further worrying decline since October 2013.

While it is difficult to be sure of the reasons, the fall coincides with the prominent press coverage given to the passage of anti-homosexuality legislation through the Ugandan parliament. It is clear that this may be provoking some donors to boycott projects in Uganda.

If this is indeed the cause, then it is a pity. The Humanist Schools in Uganda are beacons of tolerance and inclusiveness and, at the very moment when illiberal forces are taking hold in Ugandan society, the schools need all the  support we can provide for them.

The schools are doing well in so many respects. Over 1,500 students are now educated in the Humanist Schools. They provide equal opportunities for girls and for the poorest members of Ugandan society. As a result of the scholarships our supporters provide for the schools, we are able to ensure that many single and double orphans receive a good education. Performance in national examinations is good and the schools are beginning to stand out among schools in similarly impoverished rural areas.

As a result of support from the Humanist Community internationally, the schools have good stocks of books and science equipment. They have science labs, libraries and computer labs. We have provided clean water, improved toilets and wash rooms, power supplies and kitchens for school dinners. Two of the schools have purpose built hostels for girl students, one has a medical centre which caters for the school and local community and we have helped two schools to buy and improve land for sports fields. During 2013 we were able to help the schools refurbish their buildings with plaster and paint, so the appearance of all the sites has improved dramatically.

They are still, however, works in progress. As the numbers grow there is always pressure for more learning materials of all kinds, including materials for the arts, music, drama and sport. We have more to do to improve water and energy supplies in the schools and they need additional laboratories and computer rooms. Our greatest challenge is to raise money to provide additional hostel space, especially for the boys, who feel at the moment that they have been forgotten.

At a time when the political climate in Uganda is challenging I would urge the Humanist community to step up their efforts to help the schools. They really do need your assistance now!

Download the full UHST Annual Report for 2013…

This year’s Uganda Certificate in Education (UCE) O-level results were delayed by a month as the result of a virus attack on the Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB) central computers. A team of experts had to be brought in from South Africa to clean up the system and recover the marks of each student.

It was worth the wait for the Humanist schools. Moses Kamya, at Mustard Seed School, is ecstatic:

“We have received our UCE results and performance was even better than last year. Our students gained 2 first grades*, 10 second grades, 15 third grades, 12 fourth grades and 2 failures. They were 41 students overall. Here is a picture of the Headmistress and other staff viewing the results as soon as they were brought from UNEB. All staff agree that this was achieved by a combination of hard work by staff and students, but most importantly because of the text books and science lab equipment provided by UHST. We were ranked in the 10th position out of 38 schools in Kamuli district. This shifted us from the 17th position attained last year. Kudos to all involved.”

Moses adds that:

“our two best students come from needy families. Emmanuel, our top student, hails from Karamoja sub region, where the rest of his family were killed by cattle raiders. Being an orphan and knowing that he would have to become self-reliant could have given him the impetus to work harder. But most important of all, we accommodated him in our boarding section which gave him access to text books, computers and staff in the evenings and at weekends.”

(* Only the top 8% of students in Uganda obtain first grades. To get division one, a candidate must have an aggregate of under 32 in his best eight performed subjects (Grade 1 is the top grade, so students must average Grade 4 over 8 subjects). In addition, first grade students must have a number of distinctions or credits (Grade 3 or better) together with passes in at least two sciences, English and Maths. The examination system in Uganda is much more rigorous and prescriptive than in the UK and even small errors are severely penalised (e.g. marks are lost if students give answers to 3 places of decimals, when a question asks for 2 places!)

Peter Kisirinya is equally delighted with the results at the Isaac Newton Schools:

“In my own opinion, I feel great with the UCE results. We gained 4 first grades this year at Kateera Campus, Masaka; our highest ever. At Mbute Campus, Mpigi we had a candidate who narrowly missed a first grade. I am particularly delighted by the fact that none of the candidates in the two schools failed. We also registered good performances in hard subjects such as mathematics, physics, biology and chemistry. The availability of text books worked wonders and our students are now making full use of the science labs so performance on science practical papers has improved greatly.”

These results will be life changing for all students in the schools. Even the two who failed, due to particularly stressful personal circumstances, will have gained a reasonable level of basic literacy, numeracy and general education which will stand them in good stead in later life.

The best performing students will qualify to proceed to Advanced level courses. This option is open to those who have gained credits in at least three subjects, which make up a recognised combination for A-level. Students do not have the free choice of subjects common in the UK. They are constrained to choose what the authorities regard as sensible combinations e.g. Maths, Physics, Chemistry; Agriculture, Economics, Chemistry; English, Geography, History or Politics. Also, to be accepted on A-level course in Uganda all students must have passed English and Mathematics at O-level.

Those students who do not meet the requirements for A-level, but have credits in Chemistry, Biology, English and Mathematics, are eligible for technical courses and for nursing. Other students choose a variety of vocational courses which have their own specific subject requirements together with credits in Mathematics and English.

Students who do not meet any of this requirements or do not have money to pay course fees go directly into employment. Many become boda-boda (motorbike taxi) riders, get low level jobs in shops and offices, become labourers or return to work at home doing subsistence activities including farming.

UCE Results for 2013: Number of students passing at each grade

The new Isaac Newton High School site on Mbute Hill, Mpigi has been secured by the construction of a perimeter fence.

Being a completely open site was causing problems for the school. Local hunters and farmers had been coming on to the site at weekends to take water from the rainwater collection tanks, leaving the tanks dry when students needed water to drink. The site was also vulnerable to theft. One attempt was made to steal one of the 5000 litre water tanks. Beehives that were being used in agriculture lessons to teach students the principles of apiary management were also taken at the very time when the hives were starting to produce their first honey.

Thanks to a generous donation from humanist supporters in the north-east of England the school has constructed a barbed wire fence. When the rains arrive hedging shrubs will be planted and individual trees planted to provide shade and fruit on the site.