This article was first published in the new Vision on July 13, 2022
By Stephen Nuwagira
When Oscar Ntwatwa assumed the role of the headteacher at Rwamwanja Secondary School in Kamwenge district, parents told him the school had “lost direction”.
The Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) and the school’s board of governors told him that many parents and guardians had withdrawn their children from the school due its poor performance and growing cases of misconduct among students.
One of his main tasks, they said, was to get the school, whose population was 301 at the time, back on track. Ntwatwa, who had previously served the school as acting deputy headteacher, identified the stakeholders of this school, located within Rwamwanja refugee host community and developed strategies for getting them to play a role to cure the problems the institution faced.
Four years later, the school’s population now stands at 1,081. Of these, 500 are girls, while 581 are boys. About 40% of the students are refugees living within Rwamwanja refugee settlement, which hosts displaced persons from Rwanda, Burundi, DR Congo, Burundi and South Sudan. The number of teachers has also increased from 30 to 40 over the past four years.
Ntwatwa has instilled discipline among students by counselling the learners and allowing parents to have a greater say in the management of the school and conduct of their children. Additionally, the institution now has a school uniform.
He has also built relationships between the school and its stakeholders, which has attracted funding from a number of international agencies and individuals.
Ntwatwa says that one of the strategies he has deployed to improve relations between the community and the school is getting the students to participate in community initiatives, such as bulungi bwansi.
Bicycles For Students
With support from the school’s board of governors, Ntwatwa recently secured 210 bicycles from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for the students. He says some students previously dropped out due to the long distances they had to walk to get to the school.
He hopes that the bicycles will not only allow the beneficiaries to remain in school, but will also ensure they arrive at school early and reduce absenteeism.
Ntwatwa adds that 50 of the bicycles were distributed to refugee students, while another 50 went to learners from the host communities in Muhame, Kyempango, Kinyonza and Bisozi villages.
He adds that a second batch of 110 bicycles will be delivered by the UN refugee agency later this year. These, according to Ntwatwa, will be distributed to only female students to encourage them to stay in school.
Ntwatwa says the UNHCR has also donated 121 tablet computers, which have been useful in teaching science subjects. A computer lab, which will facilitate teaching of ICT and other subjects, is being set up at the school.
In addition, the refugee agency has also constructed and equipped two girls’ dormitories.
The Adventist Development Relief Agency, an international NGO, has donated the solar power equipment and enclosed the dormitories with a chain-link fence.
The construction of five new classroom blocks, a 200-seater library and a laboratory, funded by Finn Church Aid, a not-for-profit organisation, is nearing completion. The facilities, Ntwatwa says, will be stocked with books, computers and equipment once complete.
Ntwatwa says he also approached the area Member of Parliament and agriculture minister, Frank Tumwebaze, who mobilised resources used to build a dormitory block for male students. He adds that water harvesting tanks, which have been established at the school, have allowed it to cut the water bills.
Scholastic Materials
Ntwatwa says his learners now receive textbooks, sanitary towels and other scholastic materials from Finn Church Aid.
He reveals that “a smart kitchen” powered by solar and wood fuel has enabled the school to cut energy bills and also contributed towards saving the environment. It was built by the Lutheran World Federation – a global communion of churches in the Lutheran tradition. The headteacher says his administration worked with UNHCR and Finn Church Aid to distribute study materials to all students during the COVID-19-induced lockdown, which allowed the learners to continue learning.
Ntwatwa explains that he also appeared on local FM radio stations on various occasions to encourage learners to stay focused on their academic dreams and also assured them that schools would reopen.
“For candidate classes with phones, we created WhatsApp groups through which students would ask questions and interact with the teachers and classmates,” he adds.
The school produced one of the best students in the district in the 2020 Uganda Certificate of Education exams, while seven of its students passed in Division One. In the previous years, the school had one or two students in first grade, according to the school records.
The school won the Kibale East county football and netball competitions in the first term this year and represented the county at the district level. Ntwatwa says he facilitated the team and continues to provide resources to students to participate in drama, debate, cultural dances and food and culinary competitions.
“We want to produce all-round people and we are not only focusing on academics,” he states.
The school’s cultural dance troupe has been hired on many occasions to perform at events in the community. It also performed during the birthday celebrations of Omukama of Tooro Oyo Nyimba in 2019.
Ntwatwa says he has trained around 300 girls in making sanitary pads.
“We believe these skills will continue to be useful to the girls after school,” he notes.
Fact File
- Born in 1978 in Luwero district, Ntwatwa attended Kagote Primary School in Fort Portal 1986-1992. Thereafter, he joined Mpanga Secondary School in Fort Portal and Saad Memorial Secondary School in Kasese for his O and A’ levels between 1993 and 1999, respectively.
- He earned a bachelor of arts in education from Makerere University in 2003 and a masters of arts in education administration and management in 2011 from Uganda Martyrs’ University. He earned a masters of arts in public administration from Makerere University in 2018.
- Ntwatwa served as deputy headteacher of Rugendabara YMCA Secondary School in Kasese, Kuruhe High School, also in Kasese and Katikamu Secondary School in Luwero between 2005 and 2015.
- He was acting headteacher at Rwamwanja Secondary School between 2016 and 2017, before he was moved to Bihanga Seed School, where he served as headteacher from 2018 to 2019. He returned to Rwamwanja as a headteacher in 2019.
What Others Say
Grace Ishimwe, refugee student from DR Congo and member of the school’s cultural troupe: Refugee learners and their peers from the community are treated equally at the school because Ntwatwa promotes peaceful co-existence.
Owen Mukonyezi, teacher: Ntwatwa has secured scholarships for students from disadvantaged families, which has enabled them to stay in school.
Lydia Nakirya, teacher and patron of the school’s traditional troupe: Ntwatwa’s support to co-curricular activities is promoting creativity and talent development.
Samson Muhindo, deputy headteacher (academics): Ntwatwa’s ability to speak English, Swahili, Luganda, Runyankore and Rutoro allows him to communicate effectively and forge relationships with the school’s stakeholders.
Geoffrey Byarugaba, inspector of schools in Kibale East county: Ntwatwa’s decision to involve parents in decision-making through PTA is reviving the school.
Ezironi Rubategeka and Eliasto Akatuheebwa, the PTA and school board chairpersons: Ntwatwa has improved the school’s image.
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