By Arthur Baguma

IT is a story of a boat which almost capsized minutes away from the shores. Phillip Ssaja had given up the hope of continuing with school after failing to raise a registration fee of sh129,000 for A’level examinations last year.

He retreated to his home village in Tororo and surrendered his life to fate.

However, as a result of combined effort led by his teacher, Elsie Nsiyona, the 19-year-old former student of Kololo SSS was able to sit the exams in which he emerged the best with 25 points.

Ssaja’s elder brother, Patrick Adhola, a builder was struggling to pay his fees. However, Adhola failed to raise the money.

Back at Kololo the clock to the late registration deadline was ticking fast, yet the boy had not got the fees.

Nsiyona, Ssaja’s teacher raised sh150,000 from her colleagues.

Ssaja was summoned back immediately. He registered after paying late registration of sh129,000.

When UACE results were released, it was an effort worth for the teachers who helped Ssaja because with 25 points, he is likely to get government sponsorship at university.

Ssaja’s hopes
When he graduates and gets a job in three years time, he hopes to pay fees for his young sister in S.3.

“I want her to study and make it to university. My siblings have not made it to university,” Ssaja adds.

He joined Kololo SSS in S.2 in 2005 after leaving Mahanga SSS in Tororo district.

While in Mahanga he fell sick and missed his second term. His brother, a primary school teacher in Mutungo, a Kampala suburb got for him a vacancy in Kololo SSS and promised to pay his fees later.

His brother only paid his fees for first term and second term.

After that, it was a horrifying ordeal for Ssaja as he trekked between school and home to look for fees.

He managed to limp through O’level and scored Aggregate 32. But by the time he sat for A’level he had an outstanding debt of sh300,000 which he has not cleared.

“I am trying to look for any job that will help me to pay off the debt,” Ssaja says.

The son to Nelson Ofwono and Esther Nyafwono is on the road to becoming the first graduate in the family of six.

He wants to do bachelor of arts in economics and his dream is to work in a bank.