Kaloke Christian High sets new stage for Nakaseke education

As the sun hits its mid morning ascendancy, a pastel shade forms under the huge tree at the entrance to Kaloke Christian High School in Nakaseke.

A cool breeze blows through the tree branches as I make my way in. I stop under a tree shade for a while, enjoying the cool breeze waiting for the head teacher.

The school compound and classroom blocks are spotlessly clean. Right from the entrance, the compound, though slightly bushy is beautifully adorned with flower gardens. The overgrown grass is understandable since the students are on holiday but the aura of serenity pervades the environment all the same.

When Mugabi Ssebuliba, the head teacher finally joins me, I had had more than a treat, from the bird chirp serenading to the nippy tree winds.

Ssebuliba tells me the school stays quiet and tranquil even during school time.
As we tread around, the tranquil environment is only interrupted, on occasion, by the frequent bird chirps, which I had now gotten used to, and the sounds of children pumping water at a nearby bore hole.

The new block housing the main hall and sick bay

 
From Ssebuliba's account, Kaloke's has one of the best, if not the best study environment in the whole of Nakaseke district due to its location, roughly six kilometers from the buzzing Namayumba Trading Centre. Records indicate the school was founded in 1987 by Phares Katamba.

"The school started off as a mixed private institution with one mud and wattle structure. At the threshold, the student population was low because Kaloke was distant and many villagers could not afford paying fees for their children.

Katamba wanted to provide affordable education to the many disadvantaged children, orphaned by the war in Luweero triangle. He later handed over the school to the Seventh day Adventist church. The school is still under the auspices of the church, though the partnership agreement signed in 2001 between the government and the church, means it receives grants from the government under the Universal Secondary Education (USE) scheme," Ssebuliba explains.

Through the years, there has evidently been gradual improvement at the school.

Much of the infrastructural developments started off in 2012 under the auspices of the African Development Bank IV project. With ADB funding, a computer laboratory, a library with a sitting capacity of 120 students, two science laboratories, each with sitting capacity of 55 students, six classrooms and a girl's dormitory and counseling room were constructed.

More three water borne toilets with 14 stances, a fully furnished administration block, and a housing unit for the head teacher and his deputy, running water, furniture for the laboratories, laboratory apparatus, laboratories re-agents and textbooks covering all subjects were also provided.

"Standards at the school have improved substantially since the ADB project took root. Unlike in the past, the school now has almost all the provisions to efficiently teach students and a tailor-made environment and rudiments to enable students to study well and pass," says Katamba.

There is now a computer laboratory with over 30 computers, provided by the government. The teacher-to-student ratio has gotten better overtime,albeit there are still some challenges.

One of the newly constructed classrooms at Kaloke Christian High school

 
Ssebuliba who joined the school in 2012, says by the close of last term in 2015, Kaloke Christian High has 381 students, both O' and A' level.

"In the next 3-5 years, we hope to attract as many students as possible because the school has capacity to accommodate 1, 000 students.

 "The school has 18 graduate teachers paid by the government, two teachers off the Government payroll and seven non-teaching staff," Ssebuliba reveals.
The school now has adequate furniture in the laboratories and in the library that was built. There are books in the library, running water, gas and furniture in the laboratories, a sick bay and a girl's dormitory," Ssebuliba notes.

Beatrice Nalubwana, a resident of Kaloke says the current school structures have changed the image of the school.

"There was not much appreciation of the school at its beginning and the school did not have as much infrastructure as it has now. Gradually however, locals and people from other areas are picking interest in the school. As of today, there are facilities in the school, that you will be hard pressed to find in other rural schools in Uganda," Nalubwana says.

The recently constructed school administration block

Academic performances

In terms of academic performance, Kaloke has registered minimal progress.

"The school academic performance through the years has been wanting.  Factors such as enrolling students with mediocre academic records and discipline problems have not helped much," Ssebuliba says.

Nalubwana adds that, "The school administration is however, determined to turn the tide. The environment is tailor-made for academics and there is no reason why our students, teachers and us the school manages, should fail to account for this massive Government investment."

 The headteacher, also commits that indeed the school's performance will improve with time.

The school is still struggling academically. Over the last 10 years, the school has failed to get even 10% of their students in Senior Four national examinations in any given year, passing in Division One.

More so, in 2013, Kaloke Christian High had its first batch of A' level students. Eight out of the 14 students who sat for the national examinations got two principal passes; the bare minimum, instead of the three required principal passes. In 2014, 10 out of 16 students who sat for A' level exams registered two principal passes. This means that the school is still struggling academically.

But the future of the school looks brighter. Fred Kiwalabye, a parent at the school says since the ADB project was implemented, Kaloke has improved a great deal, not only in terms of infrastructure, but also in terms of student enrollment and performance.
"There is real semblance of improvement at the school. The school now has more infrastructure and better equipment for the students. As a consequence, student enrollment has been increasing. The prospects for the future are good," Kiwalabye says.

Kaloke Christian High School head teacher, Mugabi Ssebuliba in his office

 

Challenges

Apart from the dismissal performance, Ssebuliba says one of the underlying challenges the school has been grappling with, is the shortage of teachers, especially for the English subject.

"Teachers for some subjects are not enough. Two more English teachers are needed. Currently there is one teacher shouldering the responsibility of teaching that subject from senior 1-4. At A' level, five more teachers are needed. There is also acute need for staff accommodation"

He says that teachers sleep in shifts at this school. Some have to travel long distances to come and teach.
With the ADB project, only one block with two housing units for the head teacher and the deputy were constructed.

The school sick bay is also devoid of some basics though it has a qualified nurse. We also have faced the challenge of providing meals for students. Those challenges have in many respects, not only played havoc with the performance of our teachers and students, but have also affected the smooth running of affairs at the school," Ssebuliba laments.

The other challenge, Ssebuliba adds, is the high rate of students dropping out of school.

"That problem has reared its ugly head for some time and the school is working hard to put an end to it. It is mostly male students who drop out. Most of them are seen working in sand quarries and riding boda boda's," the headteacher narrates.
More so, there have been instances when the school has had load shedding, for weeks. That costs "the school a lot of money because of high fuel costs in this area," Ssebuliba says.

Prominent old students
•    Andy Mwesigwa, former Uganda Cranes Captain.
•    William Ssebugwawo, Prominent Kampala businessman.
•    Moses Musisi, former vice Chairman, LC V, Kiboga district



Vox pops

Robert Monday, former student, now head teacher at Kaloke Christian Primary School.
I was a student at the school from 1990-93. The school was known country wide for its excellence in music, dance and drama. The school had few building then but now, it is a complete school with enough facilities. It explains why people are picking interest. I firmly believe that Kaloke will be one of the best schools in the country in the not so far future. The challenges of teacher accommodation and a lack of academic monitoring need to be looked into and sorted if standards are to improve further.

Beatrice Nabulwana, Parent
My child has performed well since he joined the school. He was among the first to score a first grade in O' levels at the school. The school has employed a chaplain who teaches students discipline, unity and virtues. That has gone a long way in improving discipline at the school. Computer education should however be improved as many students leave without sufficient knowledge.

Elidad Nsiima, 15,  Student, Senior 3
Kaloke is a good school with a conducive environment for studies. More teachers however should be recruited if the schools standards are to improve for the better. I have an interest in Agriculture, for example, but it hurts that we do not have a teacher in that field.