(This article was first published in the new Vision on June 8, 2022)
By Arnest Tumwesige
Deep in Patiko sub-county, Gulu district, pupils in Omoti Primary School learn and revise using tablets. Each class is allocated a day in the week to use the 49 tablets.
“I had never held a tablet before I joined this school. Now I use it for revision as it has questions and answers for all subjects,” Barbara Georgina Adyero, a pupil, says.
William Ediope, another pupil, says he is assured of excelling in his examinations owing to the revision he does with the aid of the tablets and teachers.
The community too is benefiting from the tablets. Santo Ojera, an information communication technology teacher, says organised groups such as Payuta Green Growers from Awach sub-county have just concluded attending online farmer trainings conducted by trainers from Norway.
Ojera says the tablets were donated to the school by Save the Children Uganda, a non-governmental organisation, owing to the effort of the headteacher, George Ojara Ogwal. He adds that the donation included a projector, computer, internet modem and a solar lighting system.
COVID-19 Learning Interventions
During the COVID-19-induced lockdown on schools, the education ministry rolled out a home-based study programme where materials were distributed to communities to ensure continuity of learning.
Ogwal mobilised teachers to create classes within the community, especially in the homes of pupils with disabilities. The teachers would deliver the materials and conduct lessons from those homes. Other learners would converge at the gazetted homes for learning.
During that time, Save the Children and Ssubi Foundation for East Africa conducted an assessment and discovered Ogwal’s unique method of engaging pupils and consequently rewarded the school with tablets.
Management Style
Ojera, one of the longest serving teachers at the school, says by 2009, the school had 250 learners, four teachers on the Government payroll and three volunteers. “However, the teachers on the Government payroll used to abscond from duty,” Ojera says.
He says this changed when Ogwal was posted to the school as a caretaker headteacher in 2015.
“Ogwal decentralised some of the administrative duties including finance, and when he needs facilitation, he makes a requisition like other teachers,” he says.
The school feeding programme is managed by two teachers. The headteacher also encourages staff to undergo professional development. Thus, Ojera says, of the 14 teachers, three are graduates and fi ve have diplomas.
The Gulu district education officer (DEO), Caesar Akena, describes Ogwal as a highly innovative headteacher.
He mobilised parents to set up a boarding section for the candidates. Akena says the parents constructed two big huts that were acting as dormitories until recently when two classrooms were set aside for this purpose.
The DEO says Ogwal has strengthened the school management committee and Parent-Teacher Association (PTA). Both bodies plan for the school, carry out inspection and mobilise parents to support the learning process of their children.
“During the holidays, he engages parents to clean the school compound and cultivate the garden. He is also mobilising parents to construct teachers’ quarters,” he says.
Inclusive Education
Of the 864 pupils at Omoti, 115 have disabilities, which is attributed to Ogwal’s emphasis on inclusive education and the support of partners such as Save the Children.
Ogwal says the non-governmental organisation trained the teachers to identify the different disabilities beyond physical ones and how to handle learners that had them.
“We have helped the parents to form groups where we offer them guidance on saving. During the lockdown, the able-bodied learners moved to study at the homes of the learners with disabilities so that they are not bothered with movement. In some cases, learners with special needs are exempted from paying fees and this draws them to school,” Ogwal says.
Engaging Village Chiefs
John Bosco Okwera, the PTA chairperson, says fi ve years ago, the enrolment had declined to 200.
However, in 2015 when Ogwal was appointed as a caretaker headteacher, he sensitised communities on the value of education.
Okwera says the PTA was also equipped with skills to mobilise parents to support school programmes.
“We incorporated Rwod Kweri, the village chiefs, because in the Acholi culture, they are highly respected and anybody who does not listen to them is punished,” says the 61-year-old.
The village chiefs have identified stubborn parents and assigned tasks to them in the school activities and these have now become best performers, Okwera says.
Involving the village chiefs is also playing a role in the construction of teachers’ quarters.
Okwera says when the idea was broached in 2018, each sub-village headed by a chief was assigned to lay 5,000 bricks, of which 2,600 were made.
“Some of these were sold off to buy building materials like iron sheets, nails as well as to pay for labour and cement,” he says.
The construction activities were disrupted by the COVID-19 lockdown, but the PTA plans to resume brick laying this term and complete construction in the next two years.
William Oneka, the school management committee chairperson, says four units will be constructed to accommodate eight teachers.
Oneka says they plan for the capitation grant released by the education ministry as a team, including the teachers, who are the implementers.
“We have so far opened two acres of a maize garden. We are planning to open two more acres and plant beans this month. The labour force is provided by the parents to supplement what they bring for the school feeding programme every term,” he says.
Keeping Girls In School
Norah Lachaa, a senior woman teacher, says with the support of partners that Ogwal approached, two teachers were trained on how to make reusable pads. Lachaa says Ogwal emphasises that both boys and girls are taught how to make pads.
“This is meant to ensure that boys too appreciate what girls go through and support them during emergencies,” she says.
Improved Performance
As a result of Ogwal’s interventions, the school’s performance in Primary Leaving Examinations has been improving steadily.
In 2018, the school registered 54 candidates out of which two, 24, 17 passed in Division I, II and III respectively.
In 2019, 83 candidates registered an improvement. Four, 50, 23 candidates passed in Division I, II and III respectively.
In 2020, out of 59 candidates, eight, 37, 10 passed in Division I, II and III. The teachers too are improving in their performance.
In 2017, Suzan Aol, a teacher, emerged the best and represented the district at the National Teachers’ Conference in Kampala.
In the following year, Harriet Aloyo was also voted the best infant teacher in the district. Since then, teachers have been motivated to keep improving their performance for district and national accolades.
Co-Curricular Activities
Aside from academic performance, Ogwal has not neglected co-curricular activities.
In the recent primary school athletics competition in Mbale, Omoti Primary School contributed two participants to the district team.
In 2019, the school emerged the second in the district music, dance and drama competitions.
Ogwal’s Fact File
- 1981: Completed Primary Seven at Awach Primary School, Gulu district
- 1992: Completed O’level at St Joseph’s College Layibi
- 1992: Graduated from Gulu Primary Teachers College
- 2007: Attained a diploma in primary education from Unyama National Teachers’ College
- 2017-2013: Studied a bachelor’s degree in education (secondary) at Gulu University
Challenges Faced By The School
The number of learners is steadily growing, yet classrooms are few. For example, the Primary One class has 147 pupils and Primary Four has 126 pupils. To manage this challenge, Ogwal has decided that such classes are handled by two teachers.
“While one is teaching, the other teacher monitors the pupils to ensure they are paying attention,” Ogwal says.
The other challenge is some parents’ poor attitude towards supporting programmes approved during general meetings. This has mostly affected the school feeding programme.’
Golden Tips
- Resilience is a key component of success
- Mentorship is crucial
- Time management
- Always be result-oriented
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