Despite the progress, Mayemba said the school continues to grapple with inadequate infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms, limited science laboratory space, insufficient staff accommodation and understaffing.
Namakwa Senior Secondary School on Friday celebrated 50 years of existence with a thanksgiving service marked by reflections on its achievements, calls for greater investment in education and renewed appeals for adherence to government guidelines on school management.
The golden jubilee celebrations, held at the school in Nakisunga Sub-county, Mukono District, attracted church leaders, government officials, parents, alumni, teachers, students and well-wishers. The event was presided over by the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, the Most Rev. Dr. Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu, under the theme, “Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence, Unity and Growth.”
In his sermon, Archbishop Kaziimba paid tribute to the founders of the school and all those who have sustained it over the past five decades.
“I once served here as a lay reader, so I know the sacrifices people made to establish this school. I commend the founders, the past and present headteachers, teachers, parents and all those who have contributed to making Namakwa Senior Secondary School what it is today,” he said.
The Archbishop also challenged parents, particularly fathers, to take a more active role in the education and upbringing of their children, saying many had left the responsibility of paying school fees and monitoring learners’ progress to mothers.
“Raising children should be a shared responsibility. Unfortunately, many fathers have abandoned this duty, leaving mothers to shoulder the burden alone,” he said.
The school’s headteacher, Robert Mayemba, said Namakwa Senior Secondary School has grown into a centre of academic excellence, discipline and character formation since its establishment in 1976.
Despite the progress, Mayemba said the school continues to grapple with inadequate infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms, limited science laboratory space, insufficient staff accommodation and understaffing.
He appealed to government, parents, alumni and development partners to support the school’s long-term development agenda, including the construction of a new administration block, library and computer room, expansion of learning facilities and integration of technology into teaching.
A fundraising drive was conducted during the celebrations to raise funds for the planned infrastructure projects.
The celebrations also provided a platform for discussions on the challenges facing government-aided schools.
Archbishop Kaziimba urged administrators of Church of Uganda-founded government-aided schools to follow the Ministry of Education’s procedures before introducing additional charges to parents, saying failure to do so could expose headteachers to disciplinary action.
He said charges such as lunch fees should only be introduced after consultation and agreement by the School Management Committee (SMC) and the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA), before being submitted to the Ministry for approval.
“Whether it is lunch fees or any other charge, the School Management Committee and the Parents and Teachers Association should sit, deliberate and agree on an amount that parents can afford. Children cannot spend the whole day at school on empty stomachs,” he said.
His remarks came in response to concerns raised by the Bishop of Mukono Diocese, the Rt. Rev. Enos Kitto Kagodo, who criticized government officials for discouraging schools from collecting lunch fees despite the limited capitation grants provided to government-aided schools.
Kagodo said the grants are insufficient to provide meals for learners and meet other operational costs, including paying support staff not on the government payroll.
“We cannot allow children to spend the whole day at school without lunch. Officials who discourage parents from paying lunch fees should first enrol their own children in these schools instead of keeping them in expensive private and international schools,” Kagodo said.
He appealed to Mukono District Education Officer Haji Rashid Kikomeko to support Church-founded schools that seek to introduce lunch fees through the proper procedures.
Kikomeko maintained that while the Ministry of Education allows schools to introduce certain charges, they must first obtain the necessary approvals and should never send learners home over unpaid fees.
“The ministry discourages sending learners away because of unpaid charges since that punishes children for circumstances beyond their control,” he said.
The jubilee celebrations ended with renewed calls for government, alumni and other stakeholders to support Namakwa Senior Secondary School as it embarks on its next phase of growth and development.
